Pound Cake

Steps

• Prep: Heat the oven to 165°C (330°F) and grease and flour a loaf or bundt pan.
• Cake: Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high until pale and very fluffy.
  ⏱ Start 6 min timer

  Tip: Go longer than you would for a standard cake — with no chemical leavening at all here, this step is carrying all of the lift by itself.

• Cake: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated before adding the next, then beat in the vanilla.

  Tip: Take this slowly. Eggs added too fast can curdle the batter, and a curdled batter holds far less air than a smooth one — with nothing else to leaven this cake, that curdling directly costs you lift.

• Cake: Whisk the flour and salt together and fold in gently, along with the sour cream if using, just until no streaks of flour remain.
• Bake: Scrape into the pan and bake until deeply golden and a skewer comes out clean.
  ⏱ Start 65 min timer

  Tip: This bakes slower and longer than most cakes in this book because of its density — check well before you expect it to be done, then keep going as needed.

• Cool: Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
  ⏱ Start 15 min timer