Pound cake is a type of moist, and flavorful accompaniment to coffee and tea. Historically, pound cakes were made by mixing a pound of each of four ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Over time, there have been many variations on the traditional butter pound cake with many flavorings to enjoy. See Notes below for the equipment list.
Chef's notes
Equipment:
Digital scale
Oven: convection, electric, or gas
2- Baking loaf pan, 6.375 x 3.75 x 2.75 inches or similar, or 1 Baking Loaf Pan 9” X 5” inches
Pastry brush, medium
2-Parchment paper
Sifter
Microplane or fine grater
Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Rubber spatula, medium & large
Baking tray
Parchment paper cone, small, prepared
Scissors
Skewer, metal or bamboo
Mixing bowl, medium
Whisk, small
Cooling rack
Plastic wrap
Steps
1
Pound Cake Preparation
Ingredients
30 g Unsalted European-style butter, 82% fat, for brushing pans
100 g Pastry flour or all-purpose flour for dusting
230 g Cake flour
3.5 g Baking powder
Zest of 2 lemons or 1 lime, organic preferred, washed
To begin, scale all of the ingredients precisely and then bring to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC).
Brush the softened butter into the baking molds using a pastry brush.
Then line the inside with parchment paper, brush with butter and generously dust with flour. Be sure to tap out the excess flour.
Set them aside on a baking tray.
Sift together the flour and baking powder on parchment paper.
Zest the lemons on top of the dry ingredients using a Microplane and set aside.
2
Pound Cake Batter
Ingredients
250 g Whole eggs, room temperature
330 g Granulated sugar
3 g Fine sea salt or fine table salt
150 g Sour cream or crème fraîche, 35%-40% fat
150 g Unsalted European-style butter, 82% fat, melted
Combine the eggs, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer bowl and whisk on medium speed for 1 minute or until frothy.
Alternate the sour cream and dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
Then add the melted butter and mix to combine, but do not over mix.
Fill each mold half way.
3
Baking the Pound Cake Batter
Ingredients
30 g Unsalted European-style butter, 82% fat, room temperature for butter line
Fill a paper cone halfway with soft butter and pipe a line down the center of the raw batter.
Bake for 40-45 min or until the cakes have risen and the tops are golden brown. Then slightly open the oven door for a full 2 sec to allow the steam to escape. Close the oven door and continue baking for another 3-5 min.
To check for doneness, insert a skewer in the center of the split. If the skewer comes out clean, the loaf is done. If not, bake the pound cake for another few minutes.
While the lemon pound cakes are baking, prepare the glaze.
4
Preparing the Glaze
Ingredients
100 g Confectioners’ sugar
Zest of 1 Lemon or ½ lime, organic preferred, washed
25 g Lemon juice or 13 g. lime juice, organic preferred, freshly squeezed
Begin by sifting the confectioners’ sugar on parchment paper.
Zest the lemons on top and transfer into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and whisk together to combine.
5
Apply the Glaze
Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 5 min. Now spread the glaze on top using a pastry brush. This will trap in the steam keeping the pound cakes moist and will create a shiny finish on top.
Unmold and place them on a cooling rack.
Storage: Completely cool lemon sour cream pound cake for at least 1 hour after baking, then wrap it in plastic, a linen cloth bag, or place in a tin box. Keep in a cool place for up to 2 to 3 days. Freeze for up to 1 month. To defrost, bring to room temperature overnight and serve.
