Because I am so dedicated to sharing with you the best possible recipes, I have taken it upon myself to make and taste three different pound cakes in the last three weeks.
I tasted them once, tasted them twice, and tasted them once again. The conclusion? I'm now three pounds heavier and I still can't decide which one I like best!
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| First, there's Lemon Pound Cake |
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| This one has a real burst of lemon from a generous amount of juice and zest in the glaze. |
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Next, Pineapple |
A soft and fluffy texture
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| And finally, a Traditional Pound Cake
Dense, buttery, and simply delicious.
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| With a beautiful, crunchy top. |
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Served with strawberries.
Slice strawberries into a bowl, squirt with lemon juice,
and sprinkle with sugar.
Let rest for a bit and serve with plain pound cake.
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I'm sure that your guests would appreciate any one of these cakes after a meal.
Lemon Pound Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs, beaten slightly
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 TB white vinegar & enough milk to make 1 cup - let rest 5 minutes)
2 TB fresh lemon zest
2 TB fresh lemon juice
Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan, line with waxed paper, grease again and lightly flour.
Using an electric mixture, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat in zest and juice.
Pour batter into pan, and bake 1 hour or until the cake tests done.
Place cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and gently peel away the waxed paper. Set cake back on the rack, and place waxed paper underneath the rack to catch the drips when you glaze the cake while it’s still warm.
2 c. confectioner’s sugar
4 TB unsalted butter, softened
3 TB fresh lemon zest
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
Cream together butter and sugar in mixer. Add lemon zest and juice and beat well. Spread on warm cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Cool completely before serving.
Adapted from a recipe featured in the Boston Globe Magazine during the 1980’s.
From Jackie Powell, March 1998, on The Yankee Kitchen
1/4 c. shortening
1 c. butter
2 3/4 c. sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. undrained crushed pineapple
In mixer, cream shortening with butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time with vanilla and beat after each addition. Combine flour and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture with the milk and undrained pineapple.
Pour into a greased & floured 10-inch tube pan. Place in a cold oven, then turn to 325F. Bake for 1 hour and 15 or 30 minutes. Begin testing after 1 hr. 15 min. with toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan and glaze while still warm.
Glaze
Mix together 1/4 c. butter, 1 ½ c. confectioner’s sugar and 1 c. well-drained pineapple.
Glaze cake. It will firm up as it cools.
*Note: For a prettier cake, I would suggest using the glaze recipe for the Lemon Pound Cake, substituting 1/4 c. pineapple juice for the lemon juice. Do not add lemon zest or crushed pineapple.
4 c. flour
3 c. sugar
2 c. unsalted butter, softened*
3/4 c. milk
6 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Place all of the ingredients in the order given in a large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, and then 2 minutes on medium.
Pour batter in a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
*You can successfully soften butter in the microwave by putting the 4 sticks of butter – still in their wrappers – in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Press with a finger to see if it’s barely softened. Add another few seconds if necessary until you just leave an indentation when touched.
Based on a recipe from Southern Living Magazine.
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