Classic Pound Cake
Tags: #cake #classic #butter #baking
Serving: 10 slices
Total time: 2 hours
A timeless, fine-crumb butter cake made with equal parts butter, sugar, eggs, and flour using the creaming method.
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g eggs, room temperature
- 225g cake flour
- 3g fine sea salt
- 5ml pure vanilla extract
- 5g unsalted butter, for pan
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Grease a 23×13×7 cm loaf pan with 5g butter.
- Line the pan with parchment on the bottom and long sides.
- Sift the cake flour with the salt.
- Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the room-temperature butter to the mixer bowl.
- Beat the butter on medium speed for 60 seconds.
- Add the caster sugar to the bowl.
- Cream on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl and paddle.
- Whisk the eggs with the vanilla in a separate bowl.
- Stream the egg mixture into the creamed butter on medium speed.
- Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy.
- Scrape down the bowl.
- Add half of the sifted flour mixture to the bowl.
- Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the remaining flour mixture to the bowl.
- Mix on low speed until no dry streaks remain.
- Scrape down the bowl.
- Fold the batter 5 times by hand with a spatula.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
- Smooth the surface with an offset spatula.
- Tap the pan firmly on the counter 3 times.
- Place the pan on the middle oven rack.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Rotate the pan 180 degrees.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes more.
- Check that the center registers 96°C.
- Test with a skewer for clean crumbs.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Run a thin knife around the short sides.
- Lift the cake out using the parchment.
- Peel away the parchment.
- Cool on the rack until just warm, about 45 minutes.