Pound Cake Varieties

As per request, here are some pound cake recipes from my visual diary.

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake
Yield: 2 loaves

2 3/4 c (375g) Cake Flour
2 1/4 tsp (11g) Baking Powder
1 1/8 c (265g) Butter, soft
1 1/3 c (265g) Sugar
1/2 tsp (3.5g) Salt
8 1/2 (425g) Eggs

Method:
1. Grease two 9x5 loaf pan. Preheat ovens at 350F.
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Cream butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and light in color.
4. Add in eggs one at a time. Mix until well combined.
5. Add the sifted dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until just blended.
6. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool the cakes in the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Here are some yummy varieties of the traditional pound cake.

Marble Chocolate Pound Cake
Yield: 2 loaves

1 1/8 c butter
1/2 tsp Salt
8 Whole eggs
3 1/8 c Powdered Sugar, sifted
2 1/4 c Cake flour, sifted
3 1/8 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 c Cocoa powder
1/2 c Milk

Method:
1. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar together until light in color and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
4. Sift flour, baking power and salt. Add to the butter mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
5. Pour 13 oz of batter (about half) into another bowl. Mix in cocoa powder and milk.
6. Starting with vanilla batter, pour in alternating layers into pan. Run a knife, spatula or skewer threw batter after every chocolate layer to make more marbling effect.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest in pan upon removal for a couple minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

By substituting the 1 oz cocoa powder with 2 oz pistachio paste this pound cake easily turns into a Marble Pistachio Pound Cake!
Should pistachio paste be an ingredient hard to come by, you can use 3 oz ground pistachio, 1 oz oil to substitute too.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Always a big hit is my favorite banana bread recipe:

Ingredients

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c butter

3/4 c brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 mashed over-ripe bananas (about 3)

2 c semi-sweet choc chips

Method

1. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs and bananas.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir wet ingredients and chocolate chips into dry ingredients just until moistened.

4. Pour into loaf pan and bake 60 mins.

Lemon Poppyseed Scones

By far my favorite scones ever. Tart, sweet, and super moist!

2 3/4 c all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar
1 tsp salt
Zest of 3 lemons
1 Tbsp poppyseeds

1/2 c butter (or fat substitute)
1 egg
Juice of 3 lemons
1/3 c sour cream

Granulated sugar for dipping.

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Slowly add butter in small clumps to dry ingredients until sandy crumble.
3. Whisk together egg, lemon juice and sour cream. Add to dry just too mix.
4. Form into 9 loose balls, flatten slightly on cookie sheet. Dip top of scones into granulated sugar.
5. Bake 375F for 16 mins or until golden brown

A few recipes from the visual diary

Lemon Buttermilk Cake
yield one 8" cake

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
10 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
juice of 1 lemon

Method:
1. Grease the cake pan, Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on medium speed with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and light in color, about 5 minutes.
4. Blend the eggs and add in three additions, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
5. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk in three additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Add the lemon juice and blend
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F until cakes spring back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes.
8. Cool the cakes in the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.


Scones
yields 10 scones

Ingredients:
4 1/4 cup bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 cup raisins, dried cherries, or your choice of fruit
coarse sugar, as needed
milk, as needed

Method:
1. Combine the bread flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix on medium speed with a paddle attachment until well blended, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and mix until just combined.
2. Pat dough by hand into a cake pan or ring (10" diameter). Remove the dough from the ring, place on parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze thoroughly.
3. Cut disk into 10 equal wedges and place the individual wedges on parchment-lined sheet pans. Brush with the milk and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
4. Bake at 350 until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
5. Cool the scones on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.


Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
yields 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
5 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 3 lemons
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Grease muffin tins and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Cream together sugar, butter, and salt on medium speed using the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl periodically, until the mixture is smooth and light in color, about 5 minutes. Blend in the creme fraiche or sour cream.
4. Whisk the eggs, oil, and lemon juice together. Add to the butter-sugar mixture in three additions, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the lemon zest and poppy seeds.
5. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until evenly moistened.
6. Fill muffin tins three-quarters full. Gently tap the filled tins to release any air bubbles.
7. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted near the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Cool the muffins in the tins for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.


Marble Chocolate Pound Cake
yields two loaves

Ingredients:
2 1/4 sticks (18 Tbsp) butter
1/2 tsp salt
8 whole eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
3+ cup cake flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk

Method:
1. Cream the butter and powdered sugar together.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt, then add it to your butter mixture.
4. Mix together cocoa powder and milk, add 13 oz. of batter.
5. Layer alternating the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter.
6. Bake 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

A Visual Diary

Here are images from my past two weeks in the bakeshop (feel free to ask me for recipes for anything if you see something you like!):


Baguettes

Breadsticks

Pound Cake

Bagels

Zucchini Bread

Apple Turnover

Pinwheel

Raisin Scone

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

Langue de Belle-Mere (Mother in Law's Tongue)

Morning Glory Muffins

Marble Chocolate Pound Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Roulade (Jelly Roll)

Palmiers

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

At the request of my dear dear friends, a recipe:
(the very first cake I baked!)

Filling:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Glaze:
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp milk

12-cup fluted tube cake pan or 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan, greased.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix filling ingredients, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar, 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream, about a third at a time, at low speed.
4. Spread a third of the batter in the pan (about 2 cups). Top layer with half of the filling (about 8 tablespoons). Repeat with another layer of batter and filling. Top with final layer of batter.
5. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
6. Heat butter over medium heat until very light brown; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir in milk 1 tablespoon at a time until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle cake with glaze.

Substitution:
Skip the glaze and just sprinkle the coffee cake with powdered sugar or a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker