Patty Roper’s Tips for the Perfect Pound Cake:
• Use room temperature ingredients.
• Use large eggs, unsalted butter, and pure flavorings.
• Cream sugar mixture until light and fluffy. Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes.
• Reduce speed of mixer to medium-low setting when adding flour mixtures and liquids to batter.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, and only long enough for yellow to disappear.
• Fold ingredients into batter by hand with a spoon or spatula.
• Grease or butter and flour pans or spray pans with Baker’s Joy.
• Most pound cakes need to bake for at least an hour. Rotate pan once.
• Let cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before turning out.
• Store a pound cake at room temperature with an airtight cover. An average pound cake will remain fresh and delicious for 4 to 5 days at room temperature.
CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
6 Large Eggs
3 Cups of Cake Flour
1 Tablespoon of True Vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With mixer, beat cream cheese until light and creamy. Beat in butter and margarine until combined and creamy. Beat in sugar until creamed. Add eggs alternately with flour, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter into a well-greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 90 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before turning out of pan.
Yield: 16-20 servings
STRAWBERRY BUNDT CAKE
CAKE:
2½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1½ cups fresh strawberries, diced
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, sift together 2¼ cups flour, baking soda, and salt. Add lemon zest; set aside. With mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture and yogurt alternately, beginning and ending with flour, just until incorporated. In another bowl, toss strawberries with remaining ¼ cup flour. Fold strawberries into batter. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes in pan. Turn out, and cool completely. For glaze, in a bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Drizzle glaze over cake.
Yield: 16 servings
LEMON POPPY SEED POUND CAKE
CAKE:
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon zest
¹⁄³ cup lemon juice
¼ cup oil
1 cup sour cream
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds; set aside. With mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla, then slowly beat in zest, lemon juice, and oil. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined. Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan or a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cover with foil for last 5 to 10 minutes to prevent browning. Remove from oven to wire rack to cool in pan for 20 minutes before turning out of pan to cool completely. For glaze, in a bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, zest, and lemon juice. Drizzle over cake.
Yield: 16 servings
BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE, 2015 Recipe Contest Winner
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan, softened
2 cups sugar, plus extra for coating pan
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a 10-inch tube pan with butter and coat with sugar; set aside. With mixer, cream 2 sticks butter and 2 cups sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat until combined. In a bowl, dredge blueberries in remaining 1 cup flour. Gently fold berries into creamed batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan. (Batter will be thick.) Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Yield: 16-20 servings
PECAN PIE POUND CAKE
CAKE:
4 sticks butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups sugar
8 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
TOPPING:
1½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 (12.25-ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in flour, one cup at a time. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. For topping, in a bowl, combine pecans and brown sugar. Sprinkle over batter, and lightly press into batter. Bake for 1 hour. Lightly cover cake with foil, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes longer or until tester comes out clean. Remove to wire rack and cool 20 minutes before turning out on wire rack. Invert onto plate so pecans are on top. Drizzle with caramel topping while warm.
Yield: 16-20 servings
ORANGE POUND CAKE
CAKE:
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups sugar
6 eggs
2½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Zest of 2 oranges
¹⁄³ cup orange juice
ICING:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and zest. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with juice into creamed mixture. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch tube or 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Remove from oven to wire rack to cool in pan for 15 minutes before turning out to cool completely. For icing, in a saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove from heat, and stir in confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, zest, and vanilla. Spread over cake.
Yield: 16 servings
