In that completely confident way that only small children can achieve, I once thought thatpound cakegot its name from the fact that it was the heaviest kind of cake to carry. That, of course, is not that case.
A slice of pound cakedoesindeed weigh more in the hand than a slice of, say,genoise. But I now know that pound cake gets its name from the ratio of its ingredients: one pound butter, one pound sugar, one pound flour, one pound eggs.
And I also know that, actually, the ingredients need not be in pounds. As long as everything is equal parts by weight, you'll still get that wonderfully dense, buttery, not-too-sweet cake. That's why in France they call it a "quatre quarts" (four-fourths) cake.
The ratio and the technique for how to make pound cake are easy to remember. Two tools make it actually possible: a scale and an electric mixer. You can't make pound cake without a recipe if you don’t have a scale, but that scale and the bowl of your stand mixer (or the one bowl you'll use with your handheld mixer) are almost the only things you'll need to wash. It doesn't have to be a fancy digital scale—any kitchen scale will do—and if you don't already have a scale in your kitchen it's a worthwhile investment for so many reasons, baking without recipes included.
1. Figure Out How Much Cake to Make
So you know you have to have equal weight of each ingredient, but how much should you start with? Good question. First off, too much cake is never a bad thing, and pound cake freezes well, so don't worry too much about making too much cake. Starting with a half pound of each ingredient will feed 8, while a pound will get you to at least 14 servings. That half-pound size fits well in a 9-inch loaf pan or an 8-inch round. Or you can mix together however much pound cake batter you want, and then figure out what size cake pan (or two!) it'll fit in. If you want to get scientific, avolume chartmight help.
However much you're using, make sure your eggs and your butter are atroom temperaturebefore you begin mixing.
2. Cream Together Equal Parts Butter and Sugar
This is where that electric mixer really shows its worth. Start with room-temperature butter and beat it with the mixer until smooth. Now add an equal weight of sugar, and beat it on high until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 5 minutes or more. The mixture gets paler and fluffier as more air bubbles are beaten into it, which will act as the leavening for your pound cake. So don't skimp on this step if you want your cake to rise.
Note: You don't actually have to use butter here if you don't want to. You can use a mixture of butter and oil, or you can use all oil. Olive oil is lovely if you want your cake to taste like olive oil; ditto coconut oil. Measure your oil by weight just as you would your butter, but know that using oil instead of butter will mean that you're giving up that classic pound cake butter flavor.
3. Gradually Mix In Equal Part Eggs
How do you measure eggs by weight? Not in their shell. Set a bowl on your scale, tare it, and then crack eggs into the bowl until you get a weight that matches the weight you're building your ratio off of. If one more egg sets you over the weight limit, whisk it all together and remove and discard beaten egg until you reach the target weight.
Turn your mixer on to low, and gradually add the eggs, one or two at a time, beating throughly after each addition.
4. Add Some Flavor
Once all the eggs are incorporated you can add any flavoring elements to the batter you like. A splash ofvanillais classic, or you could go foralmond extractinstead. Add a pinch of salt no matter what, then perhaps a pinch of one or two of your favorite baking spices. I lovecardamomin pound cake. Anycitrus zestcan work too, as well as citrus juice. Or try a splash ofbrandyoramaretto. Or go forinstant coffee powder.
Give it another beating, then have a taste and see what you think. Mix in more flavoring if you think it needs more.
5. Stir In an Equal Part Flour
Once you start adding the flour you don't want to do too much mixing, so it's important to get all that flavor tinkering done with before you add the flour. Gradually stir in the flour on the lowest possible setting of your mixer just until it's incorporated.
6. Add Mix-Ins, If You Like
Before you transfer your batter to your cake pan, you have the option to fold some things into it if you want, like somechopped fruitornutsorseedsorchocolate chips. I love sliced plums in a vanilla-cardamom pound cake and chocolate chips in a coffee pound cake. My lemon-olive oil pound cake is even better with poppy seeds in it. But you don't have to add any mix-ins if you don't want to!
7. Bake the Pound Cake
Grease your cake pan generously with butter, then dump your batter into it and smooth the top.
Bake your cake in a325°Foven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, which will take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on the size of your cake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool before turning the cake out.
8. Top and Serve the Cake
You don't need to top a pound cake—but you can! Make asyrup(maybe with some booze in it?) and pour it all over the cake to make it damper and sweeter. Or go with a classicpowdered sugar glaze. Or drizzle straight upmelted chocolateall over the place. Or keep things simple with a sprinkling ofpowdered sugar, a pile offresh berries, and/or somewhipped cream. The hefty pound cake can take it all.
