All-Occasion Vanilla Pound Cake
"From Warren Brown, a wonderful cake for every day or any special occasion! The addition of potato starch provides even more moistness."
- Ready In:
- 55mins
- Ingredients:
- 19
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, plus
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream (8 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 cup brandy
- 1 tablespoon Amaretto
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons whiskey
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 cups superfine sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- powdered sugar, for sprinkling
directions
- Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with potato starch, vanilla powder, salt, and baking soda and whisk gently to blend.
- In another large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and liquors and whisk gently to combine.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; slice open vanilla pod and scrape in black seeds and begin blending on low speed.
- After 2-3 minutes, add eggs and extra yolk, one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding next egg.
- Continuing on low speed, alternately add dry and wet mixtures, little by little (move swiftly through this step to avoid overworking the batter, it should take no more than 1 minute).
- Stop mixer, scrape down sides of bowl and along bottom and mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds, until batter is consistenly smooth.
- Spray a large (11 1/2 cup) Bundt pan with an oil/starch spray; fill pan three-quarters full and level it with a rubber spatula (use any leftover batter for cupcakes).
- Bake 45 minutes; test for doneness by inserting a bamboo skewer into center and removing it: when skewer shows just a touch of crumbs, remove cake from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes on a flat surface.
- Remove cake from pan and allow to cool completely.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve with whipped cream and berries, if desired.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
As my nickname might imply, one of my hobbies does have something to do with bikes. The motorized kind, I enjoy endurance motorcycle riding. I'm a big fan of car racing too, particularly the European stuff, road racing, and endurance car racing, not so much NASCAR, but no offense. The Beau and I get to take his car out once in a while for autocross and basically drive like speed demons and not get in trouble. I love driving in general and am one of the few nutz who enjoys shopping for cars.
But I also love to cook. Believe it or not, my mom doesn't think I can cook. But she couldn't cook, so that's probably how she got on that track. My sister and I were latchkey kids and learned to help in the kitchen at a young age and I consider cooking a great outlet for my creative bits.
I work full time but am in school on and off part time, plus try to keep up with current events and life in general, plus teach a weekly class to my co-workers, plus just hanging out with The Beau and all our good friends. Oh and I also pet/house-sit -- I used to do it for friends but recently hired on with a "company" and am now kinda one of their contractors. I'm a dog freak but don't have a good setup for dogs, so pet-sitting is how I get my dog fix. I have a kitty, she's 18 and at her age I figure she deserves a taste of whatever's on my plate.
