Pound Cake History – The name (Pound Cake) comes from the fact that the original pound cakes contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. No leaveners were used other than the air whipped into the batter. In the days when many people could not read, this simple convention made it simple to remember recipes.
A cake made of 1 pound of each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour would have been very large and would have been able to serve multiple families. As years went by, the portions of the ingredients used were adjusted to make a smaller, lighter cake. However, the name of the cake stuck. Enjoy this basic pound cake recipe. This recipe is a good one for beginners.
BASIC POUND CAKE RECIPE
1 cup (16 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature*
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract,
*If you use unsalted butter, increase the salt in the recipe to 1 teaspoon.
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Lightly grease a desired pan. The butter flour method is best if using a bundt pan. Parchment paper can be used for loaf
Mix sugar and butter with mixer
Make sure it is mixed well not like this
This is mixed well, high and fluffy
Beat in the eggs, one by one. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt
Add vanilla or desired extract to your milk mixture. Now you will begin to add the wet (milk and extract) and Dry (flour, salt and baking powder) to your butter and egg mixture.
Mix in dry ingredients. Be sure to alternate beginning and ending with your dry ingredients. Do not over beat, just make sure it is well combined after each addition
This is mixed perfectly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. You may use bundt, loaf or spring.