Today I used amaranth for the flour swap, but I'm not sure it was the best choice. Amaranth flour has a distinctive malt-like odor and flavor that I'm not sure is entirely welcome in the cake (it's good in pancakes though). Next time, I think I'll try something a little milder for the flour swap, like spelt, oat, or, especially, sorghum flour, which has a sweeter flavor that works well in desserts. Even with the amaranth though, this is an excellent cake, chock full of buttery goodness, and Brad and I plowed our way through about half of it. And that was after we had Fettuccine Alfredo for our main course, which made this dinner a real Julia Child special.
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| Classic Pound Cake |
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| Amaranth Flour Swap Pound Cake |
Classic Pound Cake
Adapted from The Cake Bible (1988) by Rose Levy Berenbaum and Alice Medrich via Food52
Time: ~1:15 till the cake comes out of the oven (using a 6-cup loaf pan; about 15 minutes less using a fluted tube pan)
If you don’t have cake flour, sift together 123 grams all-purpose flour and 27 grams cornstarch (which is what I always do, and it works well).
3 tablespoons (45 grams) milk, at room temperature
3 large eggs (~150 grams total out of the shells), at room temperature
1½ teaspoons (6 grams) vanilla
150 grams (1½ cups) sifted (before weighing) cake flour (see note)
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
13 tablespoons (184 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 4-cup (8-by-4-by-2½-inch) loaf pan, 6-cup (8½-by-4½-by-2½-inch) loaf pan, or 6-cup fluted tube pan (such as a kugelhopf pan).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla until just combined.
3. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt together on low speed until blended. Add the butter and half the egg mixture (~100 ml), and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid; high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. The batter will be almost ½ inch from the top if you're using a 4-cup loaf pan. Bake until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes in a loaf pan, or 35 to 40 minutes in a fluted tube pan. Cover loosely with greased foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning. The cake should not start to pull away from the sides of the pan until after it is removed from the oven.
5. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning the cake out and letting it cool completely, right side up, on the rack. Serve dusted with powdered sugar. Serves 8. (Store airtight for 3 days at room temperature, or 1 week in the fridge.)
Flour Swap Pound Cake
Substitute 50 grams corn, spelt, whole wheat, rye, sorghum, oat, or other flour for 50 grams of the cake flour.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
In step 2, add 1 tablespoon (6 grams) grated lemon zest and 3 tablespoons (28 grams) poppy seeds to the dry ingredients. Click the link if you want directions for making a lemon syrup to soak the cake in, too.
Chocolate Pound Cake
Use 125 grams (1¼ cups) sifted cake flour. Increase the sugar to 175 grams (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons). Omit the milk. For step 2, in a medium bowl, whisk together 21 grams (3½ tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder with 44 grams (3 tablespoons) boiling water until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until just combined.
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