Nick Malgeri's Lemon Buttermilk Poundcake w/ High Ratio Method -- Outstanding!

I was just commenting on this very thing in the recent post on chocolate cake!

I love a high ratio cake!

 
Oh, I just learned something new! Thank you, T. It's actually getting rare for me to learn

new methods in baking.

Now food preparation, that's still fertile ground for new stuff.

 
Pound Cakes (Quatre-Quarts)...

For me a pound cake is a pound cake is a pound cake when it consists of 1 lb each of butter, eggs, sugar, flour, and a flavoring of lemon or vanilla. I love this traditional cake and make it the classic way by beating it full of air and not using any leavening. For me, there is no substitute for the classic, it just tastes so amazingly wonderful.

I realize the modern definition allows calling any cake with the 1:1:1:1 proportions of the classic French Quatre-Quarts cake a pound cake, but these days, I'm seeing pound cake slapped on all sorts of butter/shortening type cakes.

For instance, this cake, while I'm sure it would be quite tasty, does not have the 1:1:1:1 ratio of a pound cake:

8oz. Butter
14 oz. Sugar
10.5 oz. Flour
7.5 oz Egg

So why does chef M call this butter cake a pound cake?

 
Interesting. This is my first time applying that method. I put the ingredients together, following

the recipe exactly, all the while thinking, "this can't be right!" The end result was a texture that was tight and fine. I've made other simple syrup soaked cakes before. This one seemed to take on the flavor with no change to the consistency. A marvel, for sure.

 
Let me clarify what I meant - because I haven't actually done this method

I simply meant the same (or nearly the same) ratio of sugar to flour because I find it makes a lovely, moist cake. But I'll definitely follow the directions to a t when I try this recipe.

 
Is the cake lemony without the syrup?

Just curious? I've only attempted a few cakes that called for a simply syrup and I didn't think they added a lot. Of course the recipes just might not have been great to begin with:)

 
Deb, I haven't had great results with lemon-soaked cakes in the past but I think this one,

this lemon syrup takes it over the top and makes it something special. (I went back for a taste test, just to be sure!)

 
Deb, if you're looking for a bite-y cake, this one from Maida Heatter is wonderful

The combination of pepper and ginger give a bite at the back of the throat that just thrilled me. Probably not to everyone's taste, but a delightful switch from oversweet cakes.

And the lemon glaze (basically lemon simple syrup) is perfect. Don't skip it.

(the first time I made this I had to hand-pick out white peppercorns from a ménage blend of red/green/white/black to grind separately. Try not to be silly like me.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/white-pepper-and-ginger-lemon-cake/7792/

 
well, there you go...learned something ELSE in one post. I never realized there was

no leavening in traditional pound cake.

The majority of my baking experience has centered around chocolate and I'm only beginning to enjoy more subtle flavors (ate my FIRST PINT of vanilla ice cream!). And I
really like French sablé cookies now. I'm getting ready to test one of Rosie's apricot/chocolate filled versions.

Apparently I'm still not weaned off chocolate.

 
The dense buttery wonderfulness of traditional poundcake

I beat mine for about 30 minutes in the KitchenAid. Eggs separated, whites whipped to meringues, butter and sugar beaten to mousse, egg yolks likewise. All carefully folded together like an angelfood cake not to deflate. It is heaven when done this way. I can never decide between lemon or vanilla and have started using both.

 
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