Tuesday, January 18, 2011

vanilla pound cake

pound cake

Two years ago I bought 2 dozen vanilla beans for a great price. They were my precious babies so I used them oh so sparingly. The vanilla beans won't be a problem to move and I intend on bringing them with me but I am less stingy about using them now.


I used a Tahitian bean for its floral notes in homemade marshmallows over the Christmas holiday.

This week, I used the creamy Bourbon bean for a simple vanilla pound cake.

Pound cake is one of those things that almost requires no recipe. Like the name suggests, one pound of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, or in my case 8 ounces, and a splash of vanilla, pinch of salt, dash of baking powder.

pound cake

The crunchy corners on the end pieces are my favorite, just like corner brownie pieces.

simple vanilla pound cake
8 ounces all purpose flour (approximately 1 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
8 ounces granulated sugar (approximately 1 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or one vanilla bean split lengthwise and scraped
8 ounces or 4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter and flour or line with parchment a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together until no lumps remain. Set aside.

Beat butter until smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs and beat briefly until eggs are scrambled. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the beaten eggs into the butter mixture and continue beating the butter until the eggs are completely incorporated. Scrape the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with another 1/4 cup of egg and continue until all the eggs have been beaten into the butter, scraping the bowl between each addition.

Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on the lowest setting until almost no streaks or clumps of flour remain.

Finish the batter by folding with a rubber spatula to get rid of any last streaks or lumps.

Scrape the batter into a prepared pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 70 to 80 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

17 comments:

dunithplus said...

great!
also visit,
http://lefoodrecipes.blogspot.com/
there are many food recipes.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Pound cake is a classi and I would love to have the opportunity to try a variety of vanilla beans from different countries.

Saee Koranne-Khandekar said...

I love pound cake! Unlike most people, I use the pound cake recipe as a base for fancy cakes as opposed to sponges--I think pound cakes stay longer and moister!

Anonymous said...

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Limoges Box Collector said...

This is just right for the afternoon tea.

sakisgalan said...

i love your blog!!is great!

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Miss Mary said...

mmmm this looks wonderful. I will definetly be trying this. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Ooh! I love pound cake. My absolute favorite is my great grandmother's recipe, which I hold near and dear to my heart. However, this looks really good and I love the idea of using real vanilla bean. Thanks for sharing it :)

Unknown said...

I love to use vanilla pound cake for the shortcake in strawberry shortcake. This sounds delicious!
http://www.weeklyrecipeshare.com

Patricia Scarpin said...

I haven't been here in ages and I am sure missing out on great recipes - this cake looks amazing, Amy! So tender, beautiful! Love vanilla.

Anonymous said...

looks great,i found some other interesting ones http://therecipegenie.blogspot.com/

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Beautiful cake! My favorite vanilla is Madagascar Bourbon - the scent is intoxicating!

goza123 said...

This looks delicious! Pound cake is such a wonderful, classic comfort recipe. Beautiful pictures too! www.lunch-wagon.com

anitaarco said...

lovely
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Sartay ooo said...

I can proudly and OFFICIALLY say that ive trolled through EVERY SINGLE RECIPE you have on this blog. Please come and live with me. =( Everything looks so delicious.....

Birdette said...

Yum! I just found your blog and everything looks so delicious!

Louise said...

hello from Lick the Spoon! love your blog, glad i found it, drop by mine sometime!

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