Make the best pound cake in the neighborhood
Pound cake sounds so simple doesn’t it? It’s just a mixture of butter, sugar, eggs and flour, though one transformed by alchemy into something sublime.
But precisely because it’s so simple, baking a good pound cake is a true testament of skill. And this talent has been particularly revered in the Black community for generations.
“Folks who could make good pound cakes have always had a special place in the African American community,” said Toledo, Ohio, baker Audrey Madyun.
“Pound cake was something portable during those times when it was hard to find restaurants that would serve the African American community,” she continued.
With no frosting and needing no refrigeration or even utensils, slices of the cake were “ideal for shoebox lunches” and whole ones could also be readily transported or shipped. Also, the few necessary ingredients were always available. One person might raise chickens for the eggs, another would have home-churned butter and neighbors would share with each other.
“[There] has been one constant in African American history for well over 120 years,” Ms. Madyun continued, “the modest, unassuming pound cake.”
A 2008 Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist whose “whole downstairs is all cooking,” Ms. Madyun said she started baking at 8 years old. She was raised and taught by her grandmother and great-aunt, “who were the bakers for a small community in Arkansas that didn’t have a bakery.”
Rather than keeping her pound cake secrets to herself, Ms. Madyun has taught others the fine art of making these delicacies.
One of those she has coached is the mother of Nicole Townsend, owner of the licensed home bakery SweetLuv Cakes and Treats in Toledo, Ohio. Pound cake “is a tradition in our family,” the baker said.
Ms. Townsend recently returned to Toledo after her husband retired from the Navy. “It’s always awesome to be home,” she added. “We’re very happy.”
“My baking started at home with my mom,” she continued, and the first cake she presented publicly was for her drill team dinner when she was 12. “Everyone talked about how great it was,” she said proudly, inspiring her to continue.
Her grandmother was also a baker. “She always baked cakes for our family functions.”
While she specializes in beautifully decorated tiered cakes, she agrees with Ms. Madyun that pound cakes are a test of skill that “truly have to stand on their own two feet” with nothing to mask any imperfections.
They are beloved in the Black community, she believes, because they are so quick to make and versatile. They stand up to weather, with no worries about heat or humidity.
“It travels well. It was the cake,” she emphasized, for taking on long trips to events or occasions.
Once you master it, you become the designated pound cake baker, Ms. Townsend said. “Every Black family has that person. ... Once that person is established, they’re the ‘go to.’”
As the pound cake bakers in their families, Ms. Townsend and Ms. Madyun offered some expert tips to ensure sweet success.
• Room temperature: Both women were adamant that all ingredients need to be at room temperature before beginning to bake. “It helps to trap the air,” Ms. Townsend said, which is what lightens the cake and keeps it from being dense and heavy.
• Be prepared: “Read the recipe,” Ms. Madyun said emphatically. Don’t just scan it quickly or follow instructions as you go along. And “have all your stuff in place,” she said, noting the need for carefully measuring all the ingredients.
Ms. Townsend said having the right-sized pan is crucial, as is making sure it’s properly greased. She uses a mixture that is equal parts oil, vegetable shortening and flour, brushing it on thoroughly (especially in the crevices of a bundt pan). The mixture can be made in large batches and stored in an airtight container in the pantry for at least three months, she said.
• Quality ingredients: With so few ingredients, the quality of each matters greatly, Ms. Madyun said. “It has to be real vanilla.” She said her step-grandmother “always used butter, and never inexpensive margarine, even during hard times.”
• Be gentle: Don’t overbeat the batter. Instead, beat the butter and sugar “till light and fluffy,” Ms. Madyun instructed, then beat in the eggs and stir in any remaining ingredients.
“My grandmother first started making these cakes by hand,” she noted, with no electric mixers.
Ms. Townsend insisted that you shouldn’t “use the mixer unless you have to. I highly recommend mixing by hand.” Otherwise, you’ll get a “tough pound cake. No one wants that.”
• Extras: While a good pound cake doesn’t need to be fancied up, sometimes it’s nice to make one special. Ms. Madyun suggested a very practical glaze: A small amount of warmed jelly (a great way to use up the little left in jars) mixed with fresh lemon juice gives a nice sheen and flavor variations.
“The sky’s the limit,” Ms. Townsend said. “It’s really about how creative you want to get,” once you master the basics.
All of these tips are critically important, because “if you do something off, it shows,” Ms. Madyun said.
But when done correctly, a pound cake “is delicious. It’s just ‘ that cake,’” Ms. Townsend said enthusiastically.
Either of these recipes would be lovely for a special occasion. Just be sure to follow the experts’ pointers for pound cake perfection.