Poundcake, according to Webster's New World College Dictionary, is "a rich cake made with a pound of each of its principal ingredients, as flour, butter and sugar." Two recipes that I like come from two different but very good cook books. The first is one for an old-fashioned pound-weights-measurement pound cake recipe. It can be scaled up or down easily, and I've included the baker's percentage with the recipe for ease in scaling. The second recipe is adapted from a book written by Craig Claiborne, The New York Tmes Cook Book, Revised Edition. This has detailed mixing and unusual baking directions, but the recipe makes a good pound cake.

Toasted? Click here for the link for the Toasted Poundcake recipe that was served with Orange Glass and Marinated Oranges recipe.

Poundcake

Butter      2 lbs.         100%
Sugar       2 lbs.         100%
Vanilla     4 tsp.           2%
Eggs        2 lbs.         100%
Cake Flour  2 lbs.         100%
            -----          ---
            8 lbs. yield   402%

Cream the butter and sugar together well. Add in about half of the eggs, one at a time, then add in about a third of the flour. Add in the rest of the eggs and then the flour, scraping well with each addition.

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Pound Cake

8 oz. butter
1 t. nutmeg, grated
Pinch of salt
1 2/3 c sugar
5 eggs
2 c cake flour, sifted

Grease and flour a 9" tube cake pan.

Put softened butter in bowl of mixer. Add in nutmeg and pinch of salt, and mix about 4 minutes. Add in the sugar in a stream and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in one at a time 4 eggs, then add in the flour all at once. Mix about 2 minutes. Stop machine and scrape bottom. Add in the the last egg, and mix in a few seconds to incorporate the last egg. Place in a cold oven and set temperature to 300°F. Bake about two hours, checking after about 75 minutes.

References used:

Neufeldt, Victoria, ed. Webster's New World College Dictionary. Third Edition. New York: Macmillan, 1997.

Gisslen, Wayne. Professional Baking. New York: John Wiley, 1985.

Claiborne, Craig. The New York Times Cook Book. Revised Edition. New York: Harper, 1990.

Copyright © 2009 Beach Cuisine™ Inc and Renee Shelton.