If someone asked you how much the average pound cake weighs, would you say a pound? Classic Pound Cake Recipe by My Cake School | My Cake School The one on the right has a typical texture: an even, fairly close grain. (Tube pans have straight, high sides, while Bundt pans are more shallow and fluted.) So we add sour cream - or nonfat Greek yogurt - to add tang, tenderness, and moisture into the cake. Of course, modern pound cakes can be dressed up in ways that the desserts originators likely wouldn’t have dreamed. Thanks . Although both may measure 10 inches in diameter, each holds a different amount of batter. Add comma separated list of ingredients to include in recipe. This amount of ingredients made for large cakes, however, so they were usually shared among multiple families. Pound cake gets its name from the fact that it calls for a pound of flour, a pound of butter (yes! In English it is called "pound cake" for the same reason: originally the recipe included one pound each of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. ), a pound of sugar and a pound of eggs. Can’t we be pleased with both? Nope, it’s not because you will gain a pound by eating a slice…and no, not because it weighs a pound. Pound cake is called a pound cake because that was the weight of several of the ingredients. That's it. The reason being is that the 4 main ingredients all call for 1 lb each. A traditional British Pound Cake recipe would specify one pound each of flour, butter, eggs (8 eggs), sugar, and several kinds of dried fruit (currants, sultanas, and raisins, with perhaps a lesser quantity of glacé cherries). Spoiler: It's not because the cake weighs a pound. That's because it called for a pound of each of … A cooking oil(typic… It gets the name of pound cake, because of how it’s made. You can also top your cake with a seasonal icing, like pumpkin, or add in buttermilk for a tangy flavor boost. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. A traditional British Pound Cake recipe would specify one pound each of flour, butter, eggs (8 eggs), sugar, and several kinds of dried fruit (currants, sultanas, and raisins, with perhaps a lesser quantity of glacé cherries). Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr. The proportions are right there in the name! This was a time when many people could not read; thus, the recipe was easy to remember. Why is it called pound cake? You don't even need a recipe to make one because the recipe lies within the name. All rights reserved. I wanted to make something a little more tender, fluffy, and flavorful. This guide to cooking roast beef will help you create a flavorful, moist, and tender roast. Add comma separated list of ingredients to exclude from recipe. Cream butter and sugar well. Its name originated from the ingredients used in quantities of English pounds. They’ve been around since as early as the 1700s, and the term traditionally referred to a cake that weighed four pounds. Im using the pound cake recipe which ive used for years and never had a problem. post #2 of 4 I thought I remembered you saying you were baking your pound cakes in 3 inch high pans instead of the 2 inch high pans. If so, you’ve been understandably tricked by this strangely named dessert staple. The Carribean part of the world that speaks French add Rum to the cake for Christmas eve along with mashed bananas. Pound Cake Tips from the Pros Prep before you start. Report. Why is Pound Cake Called a Pound Cake? Originally, the recipe called for one pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. Give it a try, you'll see. If so, you’ve been understandably tricked by this strangely named … Pound cakes are one of the easiest things to bake. There are plenty of popular variations of the traditional pound cake: Oil can be used instead of butter to produce a more moist cake, sour cream is sometimes added to produce a tangier cake, and additional leaveners are often used to lighten the cake. What is the actual weight of a pound cake? Rather, it’s a hint at the ingredient list, a relic of a time when recipes were largely passed along orally. mfeagan Posted 24 Nov 2013 , 12:33am. A pund cake was originally called that bexause it involved a pound (one pound butter, one pound flour, one pound sugar, ect.) A pound cake is a "pound cake" because the original recipe, from the early 1700s, called for one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Pound cake is an American English name for a type of fruit cake known in British English as a Madeira cake. Why is pound cake called pound cake Pound cake is originally a recipe that calls for a pound of four ingredients: flour, butter, sugar and eggs. The logic behind pound cake’s name might not be as intuitive in the present day, but the dessert itself will always be popular favorite. That makes enough batter to fill about two one-loaf pans. In fact, it weighs about 4 pounds because you use these 4 simple ingredients that weigh a pound … Originally, the creation of the pound cake in the 1700s started with one pound each of sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. Rather, it’s a hint at the ingredient list, a relic of a time when recipes were largely passed along orally. But with a pound cake recipe -- one that you can cook off the top of your head -- experimentation becomes simple. No gift befits the food-obsessed people in your life like a cookbook. It may be easier to think of this kind of cake in terms the French use. Pound cakes are one of the easiest things to bake. But the one on the left shows streaks – areas of dense, sodden cake. Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? The cake itself is extremely dense, since it doesn't rise as much as the American-style butter cake. Pound cake is quite well known in France and is called 'quarte-quarts', or 'four quarters', a quarter referring to a pound. ), a pound of sugar and a pound of eggs. You don't even need a recipe to make one because the recipe lies within the name. That’s because a classic pound cake consisted of 1 pound of each of the following FOUR ingredients, Butter; If you’re fond of pound cake and looking for a new way to serve it, try making stuffed pound cake by filling the cake’s center with a thick, sweet mixture (like this cookies-and-cream cheese). That's the beautiful thing about pound cake: it's a blank canvas -- that's pretty much food proof -- for whatever your heart desires. Taking a bite, you'd think it was under-baked – even though it's actually completely baked. If that sounds like a lot of cake, you can cut the ingredients in half -- so long as the ratio remains the same, that's all that matters. In the UK, it was known as a madeira cake. Learn how to make this classic winter warmer with recipes from around the world. Pound Cake History Pound Cake History – The name (Pound Cake) comes from the fact that Most modern recipes for pound cake, however, are a … It's one of those cakes you can just whip together and impress people with. A traditional pound cake calls for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pound of eggs, and one pound of flour. Allrecipes is part of the Meredith Food Group. The best recipes, kitchen tips and genius food facts. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. Pretty simple, huh? Pound cake, which originated in Europe in the first half of the 18th century, initially weighed four pounds. allrecipes.com - Tiffany Stevens. Pound cake is actually called that because it calls for a pound each of butter and sugar, but also a pound each of eggs and flour, for a total of four pounds in all. © Copyright 2020, Our Top 20 Most Cherished Christmas Cookies, Make-Ahead Breakfast Minis to Save Your Mornings, 15 Classic Sandwiches That Make Lunch Legendary, 14 Nights of Dinner Ideas All Under $2 Per Serving, 15 No-Yeast Breads for Quick and Easy Baking, 10 Easy Christmas Cookies for Once-a-Year Bakers, 10 Chicken Stew Recipes That Make for Comforting Dinners, 10 Leftover Turkey Meals to Freeze for Quick Weeknight Dinners, 16 Mom-Approved Christmas Cookies to Sweeten the Season, 18 Spicy Korean Recipes That Showcase Gochujang Chile Paste, call for a pound each of sugar, eggs, butter and flour, How to Make the Best Butter Cakes and Pound Cakes. Pound cake first came about during the early 1700s in Britain. At that time, the average person was unable to read or write, so recipes that could easily be spread by word of mouth tended to be the most popular. Why is it called a pound cake? Follow. See the two slices of lemon cake above? Whether or not it contains any type of flavoring will stir up debate just about as much as questioning whether cornbread does or doesn’t contain sugar. Pound cake also called for simple ingredients that most households could afford, a factor that remains a part of its popularity. For instance, baking soda or baking powder may be incorporated to induce leavening during baking, resulting in a less dense pound cake. The original recipe dates back to the 1700s, but today many variations can be found on this simple cake. The fact that the cake hinted at even proportions meant that cooks in the 1700 could use a quarter pound of each ingredient and still end up with a pound cake. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube or bundt pan. The pound cake, a delightful dessert typically made in a bundt or loaf pan, is a popular confection, especially in the Southern states. ©2020 Verizon Media. The French name quatre-quarts, four quarters, comes from the fact that the cake is made from equal weights of its four main ingredients. 4 hours ago | 0 view. (In that scenario, such a pound cake would weigh the same as its name). We also found that some 10-inch tube pans hold 12 cups of batter while others hold 14 or 16 cups. The … The oldest recipes for pound cake call for a pound each of sugar, eggs, butter and flour; two variations of these types of pound cakes can be found in Amelia Simmons’ famous 1796 book, American Cookery. Traditional pound cake is called such because it uses a pound of each of the ingredients. These can include the addition of flavoring agents (such as vanilla extract or almond extract) or dried fruit (such as currants or dried cranberries), as well as alterations to the original recipe to change the characteristics of the resulting pound cake. The great thing about a pound cake is you don’t even need a recipe. Pound cake recipes calling for a tube pan won’t always fit in a Bundt pan. Pound cakes first originated in Europe. A traditional pound cake calls for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pound of eggs, and one pound of flour. 3 replies . And that's when great baking begins to happen. But what we like most about this cake is how successful it is at liberating the amateur baker from the rigid guidance of recipes. It’s typically made in a bundt cake pan or … If someone asked you how much the average pound cake weighs, would you say a pound? 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