Pound Cake

Most everyone is familiar with pound cake; usually bought at the grocery store, wrapped in a loaf sized box by a familiar brand name. If that is, however, your only exposure to this type of cake you are missing out on a cake that is moist, spongy, and slightly sweet rather than the dry and relatively bland version.

Some of you may be familiar as to how Pound Cake got its name. If not, I am providing you with a little history here. In the middle ages pound cake started out as a "sweetened bread" Sometime towards the 19th century the bread evolved to a pound cake. The pound in the name literally refers to the four main ingredients and their quantity in the recipe, or weight. Hence, the traditional pound cake contains 1 lb. of flour (about 3 cups), 1 lb. of eggs (about 6 large), 1 lb. of butter (four sticks), and 1 lb. of sugar (about 2 cups).

Today the recipe has evolved and improved with the addition of various ingredients from leavening agents for better rising to chocolate for marble pound cakes. One can make the full sized cake in a bundt or tube pan, or a smaller version in a loaf pan. The pound cake is also versatile in how it can be used. Serve thin slices, plain or with jam, with coffee for a snack, make a simple but tasty dessert of berries or ice cream placed on top of a slice of cake, or create an elaborate dessert comprised of pound cake, whipped cream, and strawberries for a version of strawberry shortcake. The possibilities are practically endless since the cake does not have an overpowering flavor to interfere with your creativity.

A few tips on preparation:
Have all the ingredients at room temperature in order to end up with a fine-grained texture.
Eggs are the primary source of rising by virtue of air that is whipped or beaten into them. Therefore, add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the next egg. When you add the flour, turn the mixer to the low speed, or gently fold in by hand. This will prevent the air you incorporated into the eggs from being dispersed.

Next Week: A couple of Pound Cake recipes