Pound Cake (small batch)

 

One of my all-time favorite cakes has been the Classic Pound Cake.  Simple and yet delicious. Not fancy, there is no pretense there. Its pretty basic, most of the classics are.

Easy to make and even easier to eat.  If you have a pound cake in the larder, you have the makings of something really tasty. It can be enjoyed and eaten simply sliced and served with a hot cup of tea, or sliced and adorned with fruit, cream, etc. to make a really fabulous dessert.

When I was growing up my mother would often buy a slab of pound cake.  (That is how it is sold here in Nova Scotia.) She would sliced it up into thin slices and we would have it for dessert with some tinned fruit or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It was always my favorite of all the cakes.  Dense.  Buttery.  Delicious.

 

I don't recall my mother ever baking one herself.  We didn't mind. We were just happy to have cake!  It was not a frequent occurrence in our home.  

Its not something I have baked for myself either, now that I am all on my own.  Baking a whole pound cake seems a bit excessive for only one.  Until now.

I discovered this Mini Pound Cake recipe on a blog called One Dish Kitchen.   I was intrigued. Could a person really bake a pound cake for one.  Is it even still pound cake? I had to try it.

 

Classic Pound Cake is a recipe that dates back to the 1700's.  The original pound cake recipe was composed of equal parts of flour, sugar, eggs and butter. Each one being one pound in weight.  Hence the name, "Pound Cake."

Modern pound cakes are quite a bit different from these early cakes, most containing a flavoring of some sort, but I think the basic consistency remains the same.  And its delicious, which is what matters most.

Initially this cake is a cake that would have weighed four pounds when done.  Using one pound of each ingredient also mean you would need an awfully big pan, or at the very least more than one loaf tin. Much more cake than most modern families can consume.

I have heard it originated in France.  I have also heard that when Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake," she was referring to bread, but could it be that she was actually referring to pound cake?  Hmmm . . .  we shall probably never know! 

 

All we really need to know is that it is a very delicious cake, dense with a tight crumb, and most enjoyable to eat.  As you can see, this cake is very true to the original pound cake in that it also boasts a dense, tight and moist crumb.

And it is most enjoyable to eat.  MOST.  Add to that the fact that it is a small more manageable size for the smaller family and we have a winner here.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POUND CAKE (SMALL BATCH)

Every day baking ingredients, and not a lot of any of them.  Certainly not a pound of each!

• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (94g) all purpose, plain,unsifted flour
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk

The original recipe specified salted butter. Not a problem for me as I only keep salted butter in the house. It also specified low fat milk.   All I ever have in my home is full fat  milk.  As a person living on their own it doesn't make sense for me to keep in more than one kind of anything.

And so I used full fat milk. It worked fine.  No problems there.

My eggs are always large and free range.  I only use pure vanilla.  Not a lot of lemon juice, but you can freeze the rest of the juice from your lemon to use another time. Just pop it into an ice cube tray. and then, once frozen, pop the cubes into an airtight container, ready to use any time you need fresh lemon juice.

 

HOW TO MAKE POUND CAKE (SMALL BATCH)

This is a really simple cake to make. My baking dish is a ceramic baking dish which measures 4 by 6 inches in size. You could also use a 5-inch square baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4 by 6 inch baking dish really well and line with baking paper so that you have an overhang on both long sides for lifting out. Place the dish on top of a baking sheet.

Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon juice, until combined

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.

Add the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing to combine, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and tests done. A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the dish for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into slices to serve.

 

The original poster of this recipe suggested this cake was at its best served warm. You are certainly free to do that. I left mine overnight and cut it when it was stone cold and I have to tell you it was fabulous.  

I dusted it with some icing sugar and cut it into 1 inch thick slices. It went beautifully with a hot cup of mint tea.  I may channel my mother and serve some with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert tonight.

Oh, just a suggestion. Pound cake is also very nice toasted.  

Some other small batch baking recipes in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM -This is a beautifully moist and perfectly spiced Gingerbread cake perfectly sized for two people. Its wonderful served warm, split and buttered with a nice hot cuppa, or as a dessert with a nice dollop of lemon cream on top. 

AMISH SUGAR COOKIES - This fabulous cookie recipe makes only 2 1/2 dozen perfectly soft and delicious, puffy and incredibly edible sugar cookies.  You can ice or not as you wish. I also like to pop a bit of jam in the centers of some. These are fabulously tasty!

Yield: one 4X6 inch cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Pound Cake (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M

A classic cake transformed into a buttery, tender, golden mini pound cake. This is delicious and perfectly sized for one or two people.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (94g) all purpose, plain, un-sifted flour
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4 by 6 inch baking dish really well and line with baking paper so that you have an overhang on both long sides for lifting out. Place the dish on top of a baking sheet.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon juice, until combined
3. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.
4. Add the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing to combine, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing over the top.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and tests done. A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool in the dish for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling.
8. Cut into slices to serve.

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