Steps for pound cake perfection.
Pound cake is aSouthern baking favorite, available in a seemingly endless variety.
Our Test Kitchen breaks down some critical steps to distinguish between a baking disaster and pound cake perfection.
Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Prepare the recipe as directed, and use name-brand ingredients.
Store brands of butter may contain more liquid fat and flour more hard wheat, making the cake heavy.
Be sure to usedry measuring cupsfor flour and sugar.
Credit: Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Spoon flour into the cups and lightly level with the straight edge of a small offset spatula or knife.
Extra sugar or leavening causes a cake to fallextra flour makes it dry.
For maximum volume, have ingredients at room temperature.
We like to pre-measure our ingredients and assemble them in the order listed.
If interrupted, we’re less likely to make a mistake.
Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
This process can take anywhere from one to seven minutes, depending on the power of your mixer.
Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until light and fluffy.
These steps are essential because they whip air into the cake batter so it will rise during baking.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until the yolk disappears.
Add dry ingredients, then liquid, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Mix just until blended after each addition.
Overmixing the batter once adding the flour creates a tough, rubbery cake.
Use the correct punch in of cake pan.
Pound cakerecipes calling for a tube pan won’t always fit in a Bundt pan.
(Tube pans have straight, high sides, while Bundt pans are more shallow and fluted.)
Although both may measure 10 inches in diameter, each holds a different amount of batter.
The same pound cake recipe rises and bakes differently in each pan.
When unsure of the size, use a cup measure to fill the cake pan with water.
Grease cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco.
Always dust with floura slippery surface keeps the batter from rising to its full volume.
Place the cake pan in the center of the oven.
Keep the door closed until the minimum baking time has elapsed.
Let it cool away from drafts.
This cool time allows the cake to become firm enough to remove from the pan without breaking apart.
Cooling too long in the pan will cause the cake to be damp and stick to the pan.
Remove the pound cake from the pan to the wire rack, and let it cool completely.
Ready to put these tips to the test?
Try these22 Perfect Pound Cakes.
