Liqueur Pound Cake

This pound cake is built for soaking. A rich, dense crumb made from 1 ½ cups butter, a pound of powdered sugar, six eggs, and cake flour creates a structure that absorbs a boozy syrup without falling apart.

The syrup is where you make it your own. Sugar, water, and corn syrup get boiled until clear, then you stir in 1 ¼ cups of whatever liqueur speaks to you. Amaretto, rum, hazelnut, orange, raspberry, cherry. Each one takes the cake in a completely different direction. Poke holes through the warm cake with a wooden pick so the syrup seeps deep into the crumb instead of just pooling on the surface.

Powdered sugar instead of granulated gives the batter an exceptionally fine, tight texture. Adding eggs one at a time and beating well after each builds the structure that holds all that moisture from the syrup without getting soggy.

These actually improve with age. Wrapped tightly, they keep for two weeks at room temperature, a month in the fridge, or six months in the freezer.

Kitchen Tips

• Cream the butter thoroughly before adding sugar. “Light and creamy” means several minutes of beating, not a quick stir
• Use small loaf pans rather than one large one. More surface area means more syrup absorption per slice
• Pour the syrup while the cake is still warm. Hot cake absorbs liquid far better than cooled cake
• Disposable aluminum mini loaf pans make these ideal for holiday gift giving. Just wrap the whole pan

Variations

• Amaretto almond: Use amaretto liqueur and press sliced almonds onto the top before baking
• Rum and citrus: Combine dark rum with a tablespoon of fresh orange juice in the syrup
• Coffee liqueur: Use Kahlua in the syrup and dust the cooled cake with cocoa powder