Pound cake
| Serves | 12 |
|---|---|
| Time | 1 h 45 min |
| Per serving | 334 kcal (4009 for the batch) |
| Contains | dairy, egg, wheat, gluten |
| Contributed by | Marta O., Fair Oaks |
| Tags | dessert · baking · cake |
| Calories are computed from the ingredient records. Approximate. | |
Description
A pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour, scaled down. The eggs carry the lift, so egg substitutions come with a warning here.
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | Its job here | Swaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | Butter, softened | creaming | 5 options |
| 1 1/2 cups | Granulated sugar | sweet | 2 options |
| 4 | Eggs, room temperature | leaven | 2 options |
| 2 tsp | Vanilla extract | aroma | none |
| 2 cups | All-purpose flour | structure | 1 option |
| 1/2 tsp | Kosher salt | season | none |
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F and butter and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Beat the butter and sugar until very pale, a full 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Fold in the flour and salt in three additions.
- Bake 75–85 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan.
Substitutions for this recipe
Rules come from each ingredient's record and are resolved for the job the ingredient does in this recipe. Confidence is the community's, not a guarantee.
| Instead of | Use | How much | What changes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | Coconut oil | 1 cup (× 1) | Chill until firm, then cream. Cookies spread a little more and set crisper. ⚠ Labeled as a tree nut by the FDA; check with anyone who avoids tree nuts. rule for: creaming |
●●○ medium |
| Butter | Greek yogurt | replace half the butter with the same volume of yogurt | Replaces half the butter with an equal volume of Greek yogurt. Denser, tangier, fewer calories. ⚠ Quick breads only. Do not use in cookies, shortbread, crusts, or pans. |
●○○ low |
| Butter | Margarine | 1 cup (× 1) | Nearly identical result. Cookies spread slightly more and taste a little flatter. | ●●● high |
| Butter | Olive oil | 3/4 cup (× 0.75) | Skip the creaming step and whisk oil with sugar. Expect a flat, dense result. ⚠ In shortbread or pound cake this is a different dessert. rule for: creaming |
●○○ low |
| Butter | Vegetable shortening | 1 cup (× 1) | Taller, softer cookies and flakier crusts, but no butter flavor. Add ⅛ tsp salt per ½ cup. ⚠ Flavor loss is obvious in shortbread and pound cake. |
●●● high |
| Granulated sugar | Honey | 1 1/8 cups (× 0.75) | Use ¾ the volume. Reduce other liquid by 3 tbsp per cup of honey, add ¼ tsp baking soda per cup, and lower the oven 25°F: honey browns fast. ⚠ Never for infants under one year. |
●●○ medium |
| Granulated sugar | Maple syrup | 1 1/8 cups (× 0.75) | Use ¾ the volume and reduce other liquid by 3 tbsp per cup of syrup. Milder browning than honey; flavor shows in quick breads. | ●●○ medium |
| Egg | Applesauce | ¼ cup applesauce per egg | Eggs are doing structural work here; applesauce will not hold it. ⚠ Not recommended for this recipe. rule for: leaven |
●○○ low |
| Egg | Ground flaxseed | 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg | This recipe relies on eggs for lift or set. Flax will bind but the result will be dense or loose. ⚠ Not recommended where eggs set a custard (lemon bar filling) or carry a cake. rule for: leaven |
●○○ low |
| All-purpose flour | Gluten-free flour blend | 2 cups (× 1) | One-for-one with a blend that includes xanthan gum. Rest the batter 30 minutes. Crumb is more delicate; cookies are a bit sandier. ⚠ For yeast breads a blend is not enough; that needs a different recipe. |
●●○ medium |