Pound Cake (English)

Pound cake is a British dessert consisting of one pound of each of the following ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, hence the name. There is no leavening agent used in the preparation, except the air that is whipped into the batter. It dates back to the early 1700s, and because many people didn't know how to read, the simple convention made it quite easy to remember the recipe. By the 1800s, the recipes began to deviate from the original, and the ingredients were used in smaller quantities, resulting in a lighter, smaller cake, whereas the original was very big and could feed a large number of people. Today, people use leaveners to make it even less dense, while some cooks like to add chocolate or orange zest in order to enhance its flavours. There are also numerous variations of pound cake across the world, in countries such as the USA, France (quatre quarts), Mexico, and Germany.

1 lb (3¼ cups) all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 lb (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 lb (2 cups) sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 lb (9 large) eggs, room-temperature

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Butter two 5x9” loaf pans.

Combine flour and salt in a bowl.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.

Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.

Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 2 cakes.