We all crave for the chocolatey truffle pastry, the beautiful red velvet cake or the absolutely flawless blueberry cheesecake every once in a while, but the basic vanilla pound cake stays an all-time favourite. It’s the most basic, tastiest as well as the easiest recipe. However, has it ever occurred to you why a pound cake is called a ‘pound cake’? Every name has a history, every name tells a story. A chocolate chip cake is named that way as two of the major ingredients in the cake are cocoa powder and chocolate chips. But why ‘pound’ cake? Does it weigh a pound? Let’s find out.The origins of pound cake lie in Northern Europe and date back to the early 18th century. Initially, the pound cake weighed four pounds; that rules out the possibility of it being named after its weight. The ingredients in the cake, however, were measured up to one pound. This is how it was traditionally made – a pound each of these four ingredients – butter, flour, sugar and eggs. The name pound cake has stuck around ever since.Due to the traditional measurements of ingredients used in this cake, the size is such that it becomes possible to serve multiple families at a go. The modern day families, however, prefer a lighter and smaller cake and therefore the original recipe has been modified overtime as per the requirements. Today, people use smaller quantities of each ingredient, but maintain the 1:1:1:1 ratio.
3 sticks 340g butter, room temperature
2 cups 400g granulated sugar
6 eggs room temperature
3 cups 300g cake flour
1 cup 250ml heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. Korintje cinnamon
2 inch piece of vanilla bean
1 cup 130g chopped pecans, toasted
Filling
1/4 cup 55g brown sugar
1 T. 15g Korintje cinnamon
Icing
3/4 cup 85g powdered sugar
1 T. 14g butter
1 inch piece of vanilla bean
4 T. 60ml heavy whipping cream
Glaze
3 T. 45g butter, unsalted
3/4 cup 165g brown sugar
3/4 cup 180ml heavy whipping cream
2 inch piece of vanilla bean
Pinch of salt
1 cup 130g chopped pecans, toasted
Direction:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with Pam baking spray.
Cream 3 sticks of room temperature softened butter in your mixing bowl and begin adding the sugar in a gradual stream until the entire mixture becomes creamy.
Then add 6 room temperature eggs one at a time just until the yellow disappears.
Add 3 cups of sifted cake flour and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream alternatively starting and ending with the flour. Add vanilla seeds scraped from a 2 inch piece of vanilla bean along with 1/2 tsp. of Korintje cinnamon.
Then fold in 1 cup of toasted, chopped pecans. For the filling, mix 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1 T. Korintje cinnamon.
Pour half of the batter into prepared bundt pan and layer filling mixture on top of the batter. Pour remaining batter over the filling.
Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until inserted toothpick come out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on wire rack then remove from the pan immediately to continue cooling.
While your cake is baking, make the icing and the glaze. For the icing, melt 1 T. butter and add 3/4 c. of powdered sugar, the vanilla seeds scraped from a 1 inch piece of vanilla bean and 4 T. of whipping cream.
Add more whipping cream if necessary to get that pourable consistency.
For the glaze, melt 3 T. of unsalted butter, add 3/4 c. brown sugar, 3/4 c. heavy whipping cream, vanilla seeds scraped from a 2 inch piece of vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt .
Bring to a boil while constantly stirring until it thickens for several minutes.
Remove from the heat and add 1 c. of toasted, chopped pecans.
Once the cake has cooled completely, pour the icing over it and then finish it with the caramel pecan glaze. Say Grace and enjoy!
