Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram “I just caught Hyrum [6 years old] in the kitchen eating brown sugar out of the jar. When I told him to stop, he said, laughing hysterically, “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” This is a DIRECT QUOTE from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. No, I am not making this up. Sarah is one of those wonder woman moms who homeschools her kids, and right now they are learning Shakespeare. She explained that she’s been having plumbing issues and one of her leaky pipes soaked through a mattress on the bottom floor. The mattress had to be thrown out. Her 3 boys asked if they could stab the mattress. With knives. “I couldn’t think of a reason why they SHOULDN’T stab a mattress on its way to the trash, so I let them each pick out 2 knives from the kitchen, and let them at it.” My mother-in-law Kris has been making this cake for years and told me that it is the best pound cake she’s ever had. I didn’t bother making it for a while because I’m not gonna lie, when I think pound cake all I think of is too-dry, too-dense cake. So I wasn’t exactly skipping off to the kitchen. But she mentioned it a couple more times, and Kris’ recipes have never (ever) let me down, so I decided to try it out.
It’s really, truly moist. No one likes dry cake (least of all me). It’s a one-bowl affair. Yes, you can have fancy cake and not spend the evening doing the dishes. Thank goodness. It’s a decadent, special occasion dessert. Butter. Sugar. We’re not holding back. Cut yourself a smaller piece if you like but don’t try to make a low fat, low sugar version: this is the good stuff. It’s perfect for all seasons. You can serve it with fresh fruit in the summertime and a simple vanilla glaze during the holidays. No matter the meal, it’s so classic that it never seems out of place.
For the cake: For the glaze: Butter extract Cake flour Salt When I think of pound cake, my mouth automatically gets all dry. Does this happen to anyone else? (Same thing happens when I think of scones. Except these Bacon White Cheddar Scones. Those scones are amazing.) But THIS pound cake is full of cream cheese and butter and guys, it’s amazing. It has tons of flavor thanks to the vanilla and butter extract. Cake flour is used instead of regular all purpose. It makes the cake more tender and less dense. The cake will still bake up just fine if you use regular flour, it just won’t be quite as awesome. You can make cake flour at home, here’s a tutorial. Personally I would rather buy a box than sift flour 5 times in a row, but that’s just me.
Use a different extract. I love the butter extract in this but you could use coconut, rum, maple, or almond instead. I recommend keeping the vanilla extract – it’s a classic base flavor to layer under other flavors. Add some fresh citrus zest. Lemon, lime, or orange zest from 1-2 limes or lemons or 1 orange adds amazing flavor to this cake. Consider adding a glaze in the matching flavor. Add a little fresh fruit. If you like, you can add ⅔ – ¾ cup diced fresh fruit to the batter after step 6. I recommend gently pressing the diced fruit with paper towels to make sure that it’s not too juicy (think peaches, mangos, or strawberries). You can also toss it in a couple tablespoons of flour to keep it from sinking to the bottom of the pan. If you’re using small berries, like blueberries or raspberries, no need to dice or press (but do toss with flour). Make your own cake flour. If you don’t have cake flour on hand but need to start baking this cake like, yesterday, you can make your own using flour and cornstarch. For every cup of flour the recipe calls for, make a substitute with ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. (For your convenience in making this recipe, that means you’ll need 2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour and 6 tablespoons cornstarch.)
Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Butter Sauce « this one is great for the holidays! Or the day cranberries show up in grocery stores, which is when I make it every year. The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had « for real though. Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake from Sugar Dish Me Samoa Pound Cake from House of Yumm Blackberry Pound Cake from The Grant Life
