Location: My tiny kitchen

I started baking 2 years ago and pound cake was the first cake that I attempted to make. I’ve always like pound cake because although it’s common, there are many versions out there and no version tastes the same. Some taste buttery but have a dry texture, while others are moist but lack a richness in taste. I knew there is something complicated and perhaps even mysterious about making the perfect pound cake. And I was right. What followed was 2 years of trying many different pound cake recipes and none gave me any success. Every time I carried great hope with a new recipe encountered, and every time my hope was diminished as I reluctantly tossed the unsuccessful product into the garbage can.

There was a time that I decided not to try making my own pound cake and settled for the store-bought. When I read Steph’s pound cake recipe on her blog Obsessed with Baking, my hope ignited again. Steph is such an experienced baker and on her pound cake post, she wrote in details the techniques on making a successful pound cake. Originally called the Elvis Presley’s Whipping Cream Pound Cake, Steph found it on Epicurious after doing a lot of research and reading many reviews. To test out this recipe, Steph tried different mixing methods so that she can give the best method to her readers. I tried this recipe three times and I failed in the first two trials. After discussing with Steph, who patiently answered all of my questions, I realized I measured the wrong amount of flour in the first two trials. Because I was trying out this recipe, I halved every ingredient and I thought half of 3 cups of flour is 1 cup! I felt both humiliated and excited as I discovered my mistake. To think that I took all those Math courses in university and now I can’t divide 3 by 2, I just couldn’t forgive myself! While feeling humiliated, I used the right amount of flour to bake my third pound cake and it turned out successfully. It is moist, velvety and buttery; it has all characteristics of a perfect pound cake.

Here is the successful pound cake recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened but still a little bit cool, plus additional for buttering pan
3 cups sifted cake flour, plus additional for dusting
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whipping cream

If you are making half of the cake, you can use a 9”X5” loaf pan. If you are making a full cake, you can use a bundt pan.

1. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until it is creamy. This step, along with the next, are the most important steps in this recipe. The butter must be whipped to airy so that the cake will rise during baking. I beat mine for 8 minutes at medium-high speed (speed 6 on my KitchenAid mixer) and at the end, the colour of the butter is almost white. Scrape down the side of the bowl as often as needed.

2. At medium-high speed, put in one egg at a time. Just like the butter, the eggs must also be well-incorporated into the batter. To do so, I beat each egg for 1 minute before adding the next. After my last egg, I let the batter beat for 2 minutes to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed.

3. Beat in the vanilla.

4. Divide the flour into 3 parts and the cream into two portions. Add the salt into one of the flour batch. Turn the mixer to low speed (speed 2 on my mixer), mix in the flour and cream by following this sequence: flour-cream-flour-cream-flour. Make sure each ingredient is incorporated before adding the next. After the last batch of flour has been added, let the mixer go on for 2 more minutes. The batter should be smooth and thick. It forms ribbon if you drag a spoon in it.

5. Butter and dust a bundt pan. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour at 350F. Yes, the oven is started cold in this recipe. There is no need to preheat the oven. After 1 hour, check if the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the cake. If the skewer comes out wet, let the cake continue to bake for 10 or 15 more minutes and check again. A clean skewer means the cake is done.

6. Let the cake cool in the pan. Invert the pan and slide it out for slicing.

With my limited knowledge in baking, I’m guessing that the beating of eggs, sugar and butter creates an emulsion which gives the pound cake its smooth and velvety texture. The whipped cream keeps the cake moist. Sometimes, the batter might begin to break down and you can see small fatty droplets. Steph’s tip on this is to being with a butter that is still slightly cool but soft enough to beat.

Aaaah, the taste of success is giving me so much joy. I wish anyone who struggles to make a good pound cake can see this recipe.

Thanks Steph – for everything!