Monday, March 24, 2008

Pound cake is anytime!

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. I know this is late but I am going to do it anyway. Mainly because I love pound cake and all that you can do with it.
Before I get into the recipes I want to share with you some ideas about making a pound cake. This came off of Saveur.com which I seem to be going to quite often lately.
Here is a list of things to do when making a pound cake.
1. Use only a standing electric mixer.
2. All ingredients must be a room temperature.
3. Use only US Grade AA butter.
4. No substitutions--no margarine, no skim milk and use regular flour.
5. Prep ingredients in advance. Sift flour, bp and salt at least 3 times. Measure the sugar in another bowl.
6. Blend flavoring into the milk in a glass.
7. Keep eggs next to mixer for easier access.
8. Cream butter and sugar at med-low speed. Take care not to overbeat.
9. Be certain pan is of a light color inside.
10. Never bake a pound cake longer than 1 1/4 hours @ 325ยบ.
11. Let cake cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan.
12. Never store cake in the refrig. It will keep for a week.
This is my favorite recipe--Yellow Vanilla Pound Cake. The secrets of a successful pound cake, by renowned Southern cook Edna Lewis @Saveur.com.
Here is a list of other type pound cakes.
Lemon Loaf Pound Cake
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Golden-Lemon-Pound-Cake
Sour Cream Pound Cake
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sour-Cream-Pound-Cake
Certainly one of these should touch your fancy. Strawberries are in right now, so go for fresh strawberries on top of pound cake for dessert.

1 comment:

Bailey said...

Hello -
I am a filmmaker in Atlanta. I read your latest blog with the mention of Edna Lewis and her pound cake recipe.

I just wanted to let you know I produced a 21 minute documentary about Miss Edna Lewis and its viewable in its entirety on Internet at a Gourmet Magazine website:

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/01/Edna


and at a Georgia Public Broadcasting website:

http://www.cforty7.com/film/theater?film_test=16

My documentary is called Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie.

My website, http://bbarash.com/bb_friedchicken.htm has more information about the film and the story of Miss Lewis.

Sincerely,
Bailey Barash