Vanilla cake, butter cake, plain cake, pound cake are different names for more or less the same recipe. A pound cakes traditionally refers to a recipe that calls for equal quantities (by weight) of the four ingredients used, namely, flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Some variations use milk, butter milk or sour cream to make the cake more moist and tender.
We are sharing our recipe which has been a family favorite for a long time. We are also giving you a step by step guide for our young and not very experienced yet passionate bakers. Read the steps carefully and try to follow to achieve desired results. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section.
1.USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS
Carefully measure and collect the ingredients and leave them on your kitchen counter well ahead of time. It's very important to have butter, eggs,
milk and all other ingredients at room temperature.
2. PRE HEAT THE OVEN
Cakes are normally baked at medium temperature ranging from 165- 175. For this recipe pre heat your oven at 170° C for at least 20 minutes.
3. PREPARE YOUR PAN
It is very important to have the right size of cake tin. Select a pan that gets a little above half filled with your cake batter. Over filling the cake can result in a dense cake or your batter may overflow during baking. After selecting the pan you need to cover the base with something that will help easily release the cake. You can either paper-line or grease and then dust with flour. I prefer paper-lining as it's much easier to clean after baking. Simply cut a butter paper of the size of the bottom of the pan. Grease you pan, lay butter paper and grease again. Your pan is ready. Butter paper is also called baking paper or parchment paper.
4. CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR TOGETHER
Beat butter and sugar together till light and creamy. This step is called "creaming" in the baking world. You can use a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer, a hand whisk or even a wooden spoon if you are willing to use some muscle power. Just whisk till its creamy and pale in color. You are incorporating air into your cake batter at this stage, which will make the cake light and spongy. Then add your eggs one by one and keep mixing.
5. DO NOT OVER MIX THE FLOUR
Flour needs to be added in a gentle manner using the "folding" method with the help of a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon only until fully incorporated. Over mixing the flour will lead to a tough and dense cake. Make sure you do not lose the air you have incorporated in the batter earlier.
6. WHEN IS YOUR CAKE READY
I used an 8" round and a 2.5" tall pan. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes for the cake to cook. Your cake will be ready when you see it leaving the sides of the pan and when it feels springy when you press the top gently. Check with a knife or a skewer from the center, if it comes out clean, your cake is ready. Take out of the oven and leave to rest on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Loosen the edges and invert. Remove the butter paper and let it cool completely on your wire rack. Transfer to your serving dish.
Enjoy... Hope you liked the recipe and will share the feed back. Happy baking 😊
