No matter the types of fancy cakes available to relish these days, nothing can beat the taste of the classic pound cake. An all-time-favourite, vanilla pound cake is easily one of the tastiest and easiest cakes to make. Made with the most basic ingredients available in any kitchen, pound cake has tugged at the heartstrings of millions.
Like every other culinary marvel, pound cake also has an interesting story behind its original name. Upon asking the reason behind the name of the cake to one of my friends, I got the assumption that it is maybe because the cake weighs a pound. And I came to know that many people might have the same assumption behind the naming of the cake as my friend. Are you also one of those people? Has it ever occurred to you why the cake was named a ‘pound cake’ and not something else? If yes, here are some facts to clear your doubts.
Legend has it that the first ever pound cake was baked in the 1700s in Northern Europe. It was made by assembling one pound of the four main ingredients- flour, eggs, butter and sugar. The first recipe of the cake was found in an American cookbook- ‘American Cookery’ written by Amelia Simmons. The recipe also mentioned that after assembling and incorporating the ingredients, the cake is to be baked in the oven for 15 minutes. If you are into baking, you know why this recipe is funny. I mean, 15 minutes for a whole cake? We surely don’t want a gooey mess, do we? But that’s what it is.
However, with time, the recipe was modified according to the preferences of the public and the bakers. The recipe started using artificial leaveners around the 1900s. The addition of flavouring agents like vanilla extract/almond extract also came into being around the same time. The use of butter was also substituted with either vegetable oil or rum to moisten the cake.
No matter the variations, a classic pound cake will always be the go-to cake for many. You can follow the embedded recipes to make pound cake at home easily.