Buttermilk Poundcake
What can I say about this pound cake? That it is moist, tender, delicious, perfect with tea, better with coffee, a nice midnight snack - or formal dessert? That I love it? That I might even die for it? Well, let’s not go crazy. But, if I were to be forced to pick my top favorite dessert, this would be either number 1, 2 or 3 - or in the top ten – or twenty – it is so hard - I really do love dessert. As with your children, it is very hard to pick a favorite – or at least – frowned upon. But, that conflict aside, this cake is simply delicious. Very versatile and you can freeze what you don't serve the first time around, and it is just as good when thawed to wow another group of happy guests.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Bundt pan
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Optional
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
For the glaze
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups confections sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
Instructions
Prepare the cake batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
- If the eggs are not room temperature, put the uncracked eggs into warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Over a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, powder, and soda into a wire mesh strainer (or flour sifter) and sift the ingredients together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar on low speed. Then beat on medium / high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs all at once, and incorporate first on low speed, then increase to medium speed and beat for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle half of the flour mixture onto the batter, and on a low speed, incorporate the flour into the batter. Then increase to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds.
- Add the zest and almond extract to the buttermilk.
- With the mixer on low speed, add ½ of the buttermilk mixture, and then gradually increase the speed and beat for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining flour and beat to incorporate, and then add the remaining buttermilk mixture. Beat for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Spoon the batter evenly into your prepared pan. Place the cake in the middle rack of your pre-heated oven.
- Begin testing the cake for doneness at 45 minutes. Bake until a cake tester can be inserted and removed without any uncooked batter or crumbs sticking to it. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, run it around the top of the cake to free it from the pan. Tap the cake on the counter, and strike it gently with your palms - on both sides - to free the cake. Invert the cake on to a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before glazing.
prepare the frosting
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.
- Combine the butter and the confectioners sugar along with half of the orange juice. Mix and evaluate consistency. You may want a stiffer frosting, or a thinner glaze – which you can adjust with more juice and/or more confectioners sugar.
- Pour the frosting over the cake evenly. If the glaze is thin, put a pan underneath to catch the glaze as it drips off the cake. This glaze can be collected and re-applied to the cake for additional coverage.
- Put the frosted cake into the refrigerator until the frosting is set. Then, you can cover the cake with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Make sure you bring the cake to room temperature (our of the refrigerator at least 5 hours) prior to serving.
Notes
Adding orange and almond flavors is a nice variation of the basic pound cake recipe.
