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Better-Than-Classic Pound Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Smitten Kitchen Keepers" by Deb Perelman


Recipe Introduction

"I want this to be the last pound-cake recipe you'll ever need. It tries to earn this crown in several ways: a craggy, crisp top that I constantly have to swat small and large hands away from picking off in barklike flecks (though I hardly blame them). It's buttery but not bland, thanks to sour cream, vanilla, and exactly the right amount of salt and sugar. And it's totally unpesky�no separated eggs, odd measurements�oh, and you're going to make this in one bowl, because I'm too lazy to make it in two and won't write the recipe any other way. Before you balk at the amount of sugar or butter, please note the towering proportions here; this is a *two-and-two-thirds-pound* pound cake. I don't make pound cakes that force you to look down into the pan to see them. I think pound cakes should dome tall and chaotic over the rim. They should make an entrance and feed the crowd that forms around them. This one is ready for her spotlight."

List of Ingredients

◦ 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
◦ 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
◦ � cup turbinado or packed light brown sugar
◦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
◦ 3 large eggs
◦ 1 cup sour cream
◦ 1 � to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use smaller amount if you're using vanilla bean paste, too)
◦ � teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
◦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
◦ 2 cups all-purpose flour


Recipe

Heat the oven to 350� F. Coat a 6-cup (check! see note) loaf pan well with nonstick spray or butter, and line with a sling of parchment paper that extends up the two long sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and all of the turbinado sugar and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and vanilla-bean paste, if using, and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle the baking powder over the surface of the batter, and whisk many more times than are needed to make it disappear; we want to make sure it's very well dispersed through the batter. Add the flour, and stir with a spatula until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan, and drop the pan on the counter a couple times to release any trapped air. Smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Bake for 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes, until a skewer inserted all over�especially in the top third, where raw spots like to hide�comes out batter-free. Let it cool in the pan. Run a knife along the short sides of the cake, and use the parchment "sling" to remove the cake for slicing.

Makes 1 loaf, or 8 to 10 slices






❧ Note:
Very key here is the size of your loaf pan, because this batter will fill out every speck of it before it is done. Mine holds 6 liquid cups; it's 8 by 4 inches on the bottom and 9 by 5 inches on the top. If yours is even slightly smaller, or you're nervous, go ahead and scoop out a little to make a mini-cake muffin or two. If you're still nervous, bake the cake on a larger tray to catch drips.

❧ Do ahead:
This cake is good on the first day and gets better on the second and third. It keeps at room temperature for 5 days. I like to store it back in its loaf pan with the top uncovered (so it stays crisp). I press a piece of foil or plastic against the cut side only.