Most classic pound cake recipes we researched use a fussy mixing method in which all the ingredients need to be at the same temperature. The result if your temperatures are off? A disastrous-looking curdled batter that cant be saved. Trying everything we could think of, we finally found the answers to our batter problems: hot, melted (rather than softened) butter and the food processor. The fast-moving blade of the processor plus the hot butter emulsifies the liquid ingredients quickly before they have a chance to curdleand ruin our dessert in the process.
HOW TO MAKE EASY POUND CAKE
1. Grease and flour the pan: A dusting of flour helps the pound cake batter climb the sides of the pan evenly and prevents the edges from forming a hard, crusty lip.
2. Use a food processor: Combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor. The food processor helps to fully integrate the sugar into the eggs.
3. Add hot, melted butter: With the machine running, pour the hot butter through the feed tube. Using a food processor ensures perfect emulsification of the eggs, sugar, and melted butter. Transfer the batter to a bowl.
4. Sift in the flour: Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift the flour mixture over the batter in 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Sifting separates the grains of flour so that they can be incorporated more easily into the batter and prevents pockets of flour from showing up in the finished cake.
5. Tap the pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan gently on the counter. Tapping the loaf pan on the counter releases large air bubbles from the batter and prevents uneven baking.
6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes: Remove the finished pound cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling the cake briefly in the pan allows the cake to firm up a little so that it wont break apart when removing it from the pan. If you let it cool completely in the pan, however, it will turn out dry.
Find this and other great recipes in The Americas Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.
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1. The trick to getting a piece of parchment that fits the bottom of a cake pan is to trace the outline of the bottom of the pan onto the parchment. When cutting out the outline, cut on the inside of the line so that the round fits snugly inside the pan.
2. Grease the inside of the pan evenly with a thin coat of butter or vegetable shortening.
3. Sprinkle flour in the cake pan, then shake and rotate to coat evenly with the flour; shake out any remaining flour.
4. Fit the trimmed piece of parchment into the pan. The butter or shortening, along with the flour, will help the parchment adhere.
1. After whipping the egg whites separately from the yolks and whole eggs, gently layer the whole egg mixture on top of the whites in a large bowl, but do not mix together yet.
2. Gently sift the flour mixture over the egg mixtures using a mesh strainer.
3. Use a large spatula to very gently fold the batter togetherbe careful not to deflate the batter.
4. Pour the warm milk mixture against one side of the bowl and fold until evenly combined and no streaks of flour remain, about 8 more folds.
1. To glaze a cake with chocolate, simply pour the chocolate glaze on top of the cake and let it flow down the sides. Be sure to set the cake on a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet to catch the excess glaze.
1. Roll the puff pastry into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle, about inch thick, between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Remove the top sheet of parchment and prick the pastry with a fork every 2 inches.
2. Replace the top sheet of parchment and slide the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place a second rimmed baking sheet on top of the dough and weight the baking sheet down with a large ovenproof dish. Bake the pastry as directed, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking, and removing the weight, the top baking sheet, and top sheet of parchment for the final 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Cut the cooled pastry lengthwise in half with a serrated knife and trim the edges as necessary to make them straight. Cut each pastry half crosswise into 3 rectangles.
4. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 small rectangles (you will have a total of 18 rectangles). Each Napoleon will contain 3 rectangles of pastry stacked on top of one another, with pastry cream spread between the layers.
1. Spread the chocolate glaze evenly over the top of 6 rectangles of pastry and lay them on a wire rack set over a sheet of parchment paper (for easy cleanup). Drizzle a thin stream of the vanilla glaze crosswise over the chocolate glaze. Run the tip of a small knife or toothpick lengthwise through the icing to make a design. Let the icing set, about 20 minutes.
2. After layering the remaining rectangles of pastry with the pastry cream to make 6 individual portions, top each portion with a glazed pastry rectangle and serve.
1. Preheat the skillet: Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of a 450-degree oven until it is hot, about 10 minutes. If you dont preheat the pan, the crust of the bread will be soft and pale rather than brown and crunchy.
2. Toast the cornmeal: Toast the cornmeal in the oven (while the skillet is heating up) until it is fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Toasting the cornmeal before making the batter deepens its flavor dramatically.
3. Soften the toasted cornmeal with buttermilk: Mix the warm toasted cornmeal with the buttermilk and let it sit for a few minutes to soften before making the batter. If you skip this step, the cornmeal will retain its hard, crunchy texture in the finished bread.
4. Use oil and butter: Add the oil to the hot skillet and continue to heat in the oven until just smoking. When the oil is hot, carefully swirl in the butter to melt. Most of this hot fat is added to the batter, but some of it is left in the pan to ensure a crisp crust and flawless release of the bread after its baked. The combination of oil and butter is great because the oil can get very hot without burning, while the butter adds good flavor.
5. Add the batter while the skillet is hot: The hot skillet is what gives this bread its crunchy crust, so dont let it cool off before adding the batter.
6. Cool the bread in the skillet, then flip it out: When removing the cornbread from the oven, use good potholders because the skillet is heavy and the handle will be very hot. Let the bread cool in the skillet for 5 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack. If you try to flip the bread out before cooling, it will crumble apart.
