Poundcake a dessert for any day
My 6-year-old told me he “was only into parties that had cake.” He also asks me for cake at least three times a week. It is hands-down his favorite treat and one he typically enjoys only a few times a year.
While fancy, multitiered, frosted creations can be saved for parties, there’s no rule that says we can’t have cake more often. A cake is actually faster to produce than cookies, as it bakes all at once, and the technique isn’t any different from muffins or quick bread.
I started searching for a basic cake recipe I could make more often. My criteria was simple — all I wanted to do was make a single batter and bake it off. No frosting, no fillings, no distractions that would give me an excuse not to make it.
Although there were lots of recipes that sounded amazing — caramel bundt cakes, apple maple cakes, orange olive oil cakes — I was looking for something that could be made with pantry ingredients and that would make a nice afternoon snack with some tea (for me) or a simple after-dinner dessert paired with seasonal fruit.
I settled on a Martha Stewart’s vanilla poundcake. Who’s better with the classics than Martha?
The recipe was as basic as it gets: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. No milk, no leaveners, no separated eggs — just the essence of cake.
Reading through the comments made me a little nervous. This cake didn’t make everyone happy and didn’t have a 100% success rate, but I’m certain I know where most went wrong. Mine turned out beautiful, and while the technique is simple, it is essential that it be followed exactly.
The cake doesn’t include baking soda or baking powder; all of the rise comes from eggs and air. Read the instructions carefully, make sure everything is at room temperature and mix on high speed for longer than you think.
It is a poundcake, so this is not an airy cake with a light crumb. It’s baked in a loaf pan and emerges with a cracked top. This is a cake you can slice and eat with one hand leaning over the sink.
It’s also an any day dessert. Now I can let them eat cake even on a Tuesday.