I’ve found that with entertaining, and especially with Holiday entertaining, the difference between feeling like a charming host and feeling like a galley slave can come down to a little organization. Planning ahead, cooking ahead and keeping menus simple and familiar can save your wits (and save everyone else from a cranky host).
When we’ve got a houseful, I often make a pound cake to lighten my load as the live-in pastry chef. It’s quick and simple to make, keeps for days (it actually tastes better a couple of days on), and it’s extremely versatile. One evening it’s a seasonal dessert with pears poached in red wine (or fresh berries in summer),
the next day it’s an afternoon snack served plain with coffee or tea (my favorite way to eat it),
and the next it’s dessert again, this time toasted with a warm orange sauce and cream. (Just put slices of the cake under the broiler for a minute or two (watch them constantly), melt orange marmalade into water in a small saucepan over medium heat (use about 2/3 marmalade to 1/3 water and finish with a dash of Cointreau if you’re so inclined), pour the warm sauce over the cake and garnish with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream).
The best thing about good pound cake, though, it that it’s sublimely delicious. This recipe is for a cake that’s lighter and a little less sweet than most commercial pound cakes.
Recipe
Ingredients
12 oz (3 sticks, 340g)) best quality unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups (710 ml) of all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
1 cup (235 ml) milk at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3 (710 ml) cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
2. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tube pan and dust it with a couple of tablespoons of flour. Make sure it’s evenly coated with no lumps or gaps.
3. Using a sieve over a bowl (or a sifter), sift together the four, baking powder and salt. Repeat at least two more times. (My grandmother always told me to sift three times, and my cake failures are rare.) Pour the milk and the extracts into a container with a spout for pouring.
4. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, about a quarter cup at a time, and beat until satiny smooth, about 3 minutes more. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
5. Add 1 egg at a time, beating for about 15 seconds before adding another. Scrape down the sides after each addition.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three equal batches, alternating with half of the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture just until it’s smooth.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and give it a good rap on the counter to settle it into the pan. Bake until golden and until a toothpick or bamboo skewer stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool on a rack for 30 mintues, and then remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.
