Why is it called pound cake? This results in a large, dense cake not often suited to modern American tastes, though the style (if not the size) is still popular in Britain. 3 replies . Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The original recipe dates back to the 1700s, but today many variations can be found on this simple cake. Nope, it’s not because you will gain a pound by eating a slice…and no, not because it weighs a pound. This cake gets its name because of how its ingredients can be measured: a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour. of each of the ingredients. 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. Although both may measure 10 inches in diameter, each holds a different amount of batter. ), a pound of sugar and a pound of eggs. 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. It's one of those cakes you can just whip together and impress people with. The proportions are right there in the name! Rather, it’s a hint at the ingredient list, a relic of a time when recipes were largely passed along orally. Originally, the creation of the pound cake in the 1700s started with one pound each of sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. 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). We also found that some 10-inch tube pans hold 12 cups of batter while others hold 14 or 16 cups. Pound cake gets its name from the fact that it calls for a pound of flour, a pound of butter (yes! Recipes and more delivered to your inbox. (These quantities are too great for most modern families, but the cake can be made with half quantities or less.) If you are, that's your problem. All Recipes. 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. 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. There are numerous variations on the traditional pound cake, with certain countries and regions having distinctive styles. 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. A cooking oil(typic… Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the flour, a cup at a time, … No gift befits the food-obsessed people in your life like a cookbook. Oil is used by some to create a more moist pound cake; sour cream is added by others to lend a tang. Cream butter and sugar well. As you can imagine, the richness of that recipe was beyond decadent. Today, the humble pound cake’s construct has evolved to entail plenty of variations on the original concept. All rights reserved. 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. Add comma separated list of ingredients to include in recipe. It gets the name of pound cake, because of how it’s made. Originally, the recipe called for one pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. A pund cake was originally called that bexause it involved a pound (one pound butter, one pound flour, one pound sugar, ect.) Traditional pound cake is called such because it uses a pound of each of the ingredients. Allrecipes is part of the Meredith Food Group. mfeagan Posted 24 Nov 2013 , 12:33am. ), a pound of sugar and a pound of eggs. I wanted to make something a little more tender, fluffy, and flavorful. (Tube pans have straight, high sides, while Bundt pans are more shallow and fluted.) The Carribean part of the world that speaks French add Rum to the cake for Christmas eve along with mashed bananas. 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. Its name originated from the ingredients used in quantities of English pounds. It’s typically made in a bundt cake pan or … They’ve been around since as early as the 1700s, and the term traditionally referred to a cake that weighed four pounds. That's because it called for a pound of each of … That makes enough batter to fill about two one-loaf pans. But it’s name doesn’t derive from the weight of the completed dessert itself. Carefully read through the entire recipe, and prepare any special ingredients, such as chopped fruits or toasted nuts, before starting to mix the batter. Report. You don't even need a recipe to make one because the recipe lies within the name. And that's when great baking begins to happen. Im using the pound cake recipe which ive used for years and never had a problem. Spoiler: It's not because the cake weighs a pound. ©2020 Verizon Media. The great thing about a pound cake is you don’t even need a recipe. Roast beef is a classic main dish for holidays, family get-togethers, and elegant dinners alike. Thanks . A traditional pound cake calls for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pound of eggs, and one pound of flour. Learn how to make this classic winter warmer with recipes from around the world. However, it tends to be very dense, dry, and surprisingly lacking in flavor. But what we like most about this cake is how successful it is at liberating the amateur baker from the rigid guidance of recipes. If someone asked you how much the average pound cake weighs, would you say a pound? Of course, modern pound cakes can be dressed up in ways that the desserts originators likely wouldn’t have dreamed. It's one of those cakes you can just whip together and impress people with. This was a time when many people could not read; thus, the recipe was easy to remember. Why is it called a pound cake? This guide to cooking roast beef will help you create a flavorful, moist, and tender roast. The … Pound cakes are one of the easiest things to bake. A traditional pound cake calls for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pound of eggs, and one pound of flour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. That's the beautiful thing about pound cake: it's a blank canvas -- that's pretty much food proof -- for whatever your heart desires. The French name quatre-quarts, four quarters, comes from the fact that the cake is made from equal weights of its four main ingredients. If so, you’ve been understandably tricked by this strangely named dessert staple. Pound cake is called a pound cake because that was the weight of several of the ingredients. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube or bundt pan. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Rather, it’s a hint at the ingredient list, a relic of a time when recipes were largely passed along orally. But it’s name doesn’t derive from the weight of the completed dessert itself. A-Pound cake was so named because originally each ingredient weighed about a pound. Pound cake recipes calling for a tube pan won’t always fit in a Bundt pan. Pound cake also called for simple ingredients that most households could afford, a factor that remains a part of its popularity. Pound cake first came about during the early 1700s in Britain. Why is Pound Cake Called Pound Cake? You can also top your cake with a seasonal icing, like pumpkin, or add in buttermilk for a tangy flavor boost. Pretty simple, huh? This amount of ingredients made for large cakes, however, so they were usually shared among multiple families. 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). The one on the right has a typical texture: an even, fairly close grain. What is the actual weight of a pound cake? It may be easier to think of this kind of cake in terms the French use. Classic Pound Cake Recipe by My Cake School | My Cake School That’s because a classic pound cake consisted of 1 pound of each of the following FOUR ingredients, Butter; 4 hours ago | 0 view. The cake itself is extremely dense, since it doesn't rise as much as the American-style butter cake. See the two slices of lemon cake above? allrecipes.com - Tiffany Stevens. Taking a bite, you'd think it was under-baked – even though it's actually completely baked. 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). If so, you’ve been understandably tricked by this strangely named … The amount of times people have been told that baking is an exact science is enough to scare anyone from getting creative in the kitchen. 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. One of my fellow King Arthur Flour test bakers, Frank Tegethoff, recently called me into the test kitchen for show & tell. Pound cake gets its name from the fact that it calls for a pound of flour, a pound of butter (yes! Cake; Why is Pound Cake Called Pound Cake? Give it a try, you'll see. 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. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. (In that scenario, such a pound cake would weigh the same as its name). Most modern recipes for pound cake, however, are a … Most recipes don’t actually call for a pound each of eggs, flour, sugar and butter. Pound Cake Tips from the Pros Prep before you start. And in truth, even 18th Century Britons didn’t necessarily have to make a four-pound cake if they wanted pound cake. Follow. Pound cakes first originated in Europe. 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 a Pound Cake? 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. Spoiler: It's not because the cake weighs a pound. In the UK, it was known as a madeira cake. The best recipes, kitchen tips and genius food facts. Why is it Called Pound Cake? Pound cake, which originated in Europe in the first half of the 18th century, initially weighed four pounds. So we add sour cream - or nonfat Greek yogurt - to add tang, tenderness, and moisture into the cake. Though most popularly called a pound cake it is also known as a 4 quarter cake. But if you're not ready for that kind of baking freedom, check out the pound cake recipes below. 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. In English it is called "pound cake" for the same reason: originally the recipe included one pound each of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Can’t we be pleased with both? © 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. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr. In fact, it weighs about 4 pounds because you use these 4 simple ingredients that weigh a pound … That's it. But with a pound cake recipe -- one that you can cook off the top of your head -- experimentation becomes simple. Related: How to Make the Best Butter Cakes and Pound Cakes. Pound Cake History Pound Cake History – The name (Pound Cake) comes from the fact that If someone asked you how much the average pound cake weighs, would you say a pound? The reason being is that the 4 main ingredients all call for 1 lb each. Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Pound cake is quite well known in France and is called 'quarte-quarts', or 'four quarters', a quarter referring to a pound. People have begun adding leavening to make it less dense; orange zest to give it a burst of flavor; chocolate to make it more, well, chocolatey. The pound cake, a delightful dessert typically made in a bundt or loaf pan, is a popular confection, especially in the Southern states. Given that one pound of ingredients was called for in those recipes, a true pound cake would weigh about four pounds total. You don't even need a recipe to make one because the recipe lies within the name. For instance, baking soda or baking powder may be incorporated to induce leavening during baking, resulting in a less dense pound cake. Over the generations, it has been adjusted a bit here and there with many different variations available. The pound cake, a delightful dessert typically made in a bundt or loaf pan, is a popular confection, especially in the Southern states. 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. Add comma separated list of ingredients to exclude from recipe. But the one on the left shows streaks – areas of dense, sodden cake. Pound cakes are one of the easiest things to bake. The ingredient list, a relic of a time when recipes were largely along... King Arthur flour test bakers, Frank Tegethoff, recently called me into the test kitchen show. 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