Aunt's Buttermilk Pound Cake
Submitted by cjheath
Buttermilk pound cake with a tender, fine crumb and tangy edge from low-fat buttermilk. A lightened butter-and-margarine pound cake recipe that bakes up golden in a bundt, tube, or loaf pan.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsThis is a leaner, lighter take on a classic Southern pound cake. Using mostly egg whites with a single whole egg keeps the crumb fine without weighing it down, and the buttermilk does double duty: it tenderizes the flour and adds that gentle tang that distinguishes a real buttermilk pound cake from a plain one.
The mixing method is what makes or breaks this cake. Adding the eggs in a slow dribble (not all at once) keeps the butter and sugar emulsion from breaking. Alternating flour and buttermilk in stages, starting and ending with flour, builds structure without overworking the gluten.
The batter may look curdled at the end. That’s normal. Pour it in and trust the oven.
Pro Tips
- Room-temperature ingredients are key, cold eggs or buttermilk will seize the butter and you’ll get a dense, tunneled cake.
- A 5-cup pan is small for this volume, fill no more than two-thirds and bake any extra batter as cupcakes.
- The toothpick test is more reliable than time, start checking at 35 minutes for a bundt and 60 for a loaf.
- Cool 10 to 15 minutes in the pan before inverting, longer and it sticks; shorter and it tears.
Variations
- Swap the vanilla for almond extract and brush the warm cake with a lemon glaze.
- Fold a tablespoon of finely grated lemon or orange zest into the sugar before creaming.
- Add a half cup of poppy seeds for a buttermilk-poppy-seed loaf.
Ingredients
Directions
Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Adjust oven racks to divide oven in thirds; preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃).
Spray 5 cup loaf pan, bundt pan or tube pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift In small bowl, whisk together egg and egg whites; set aside.
In small bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla; set aside.
Cut margarine and butter into ¼ inch chunks and place in softened, about 1 minute.
Add sugar gradually, beating constantly, until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Gradually dribble in beaten eggs, beating at medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
On low speed, beat in ⅓ of the reserved flour mixture, scraping sides of bowl.
On medium-high speed, gradually dribble in ½ of the buttermilk mixture, scraping sides of bowl.
On low speed, beat in half of the remaining flour mixture.
On medium-high speed, beat in the rest of the buttermilk mixture, scarping sides of bowl.
On low speed, beat in the remaining flour mixture until well combined (batter may look curdled).
Pour into prepared pan and bake until cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes for bundt or tube pan, or 65 to 70 minutes for loaf pan.
Cool on rack 10 to 15 minutes; invert pan and unmold onto rack to cool completely.
Comments
