Vanilla Pound Cake

For many people, pound cake is one of the basics in baking. It's something you make when you just started baking. It's quite different for me though. After about a year of baking, this is my first ever pound cake. :)

I have learnt to trust the recipes from Dorie Greenspan's book Baking From My Home to Yours. Every single recipes that I tried has been a success and her instructions are very clear and easy to follow. So for my first ever pound cake, I followed Dorie's recipe on the Perfect Pound Cake.

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature (very important)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature (very important)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a 9" loaf pan and place it on top of an insulated baking sheet (or 2 regulat baking sheets stacked together). In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes using medium speed). Add the eggs one at a time, beating them well after each additions (1-2 minutes using medium speed). During the process, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure that all the ingredients are being mixed well. Add in the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Fold in the flour mixture into the batter using a spatula, being careful not to over mix the batter.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for 70-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted right through comes out clean. Check the cake after 45 minutes in the oven to see if the top is browning too fast. If so, cover the cake with a foil tent and continue baking. When baked through, cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes before unmolding it. Slice the cake anyway you want and enjoy!

This pound cake has a very soft and small crumbs. According to Dorie, the taste of the cake depends heavily on the quality of butter used. Therefore always use the best butter you have available. I made sure that I used a grade A butter for this one. :) Dorie also mentions that it is important to have all the ingredients at room temperature to achieve the best results.

I would make this cake again in the future. Perhaps for the base of an ice cream cake? :p

Again, the pictures are taken by Alvin. <3

By the way, I want to share a verse I receive from a friend today:

Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.