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the Great American Pound Cake

Source of Recipe

by Millie, from Shirley Corriher/NY Times


Recipe Link: www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/science/28rbake2.html

List of Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Zest of one lemon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs
2 2/3 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup potato starch or potato flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk


Recipe

1. Place a pizza stone or a heavy baking sheet on a shelf in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray a Bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. With a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter to soften. Add shortening and beat until the mixture is light and pale in color, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until very light, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

4. Beat in vanilla, almond extract and lemon zest. Beat in the vegetable oil a little at a time. With a minimum of beating, add the eggs, one at a time.

5. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt.

6. With the mixer on the slowest speed, blend 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Alternate adding cream and flour until all of the cream is incorporated, scraping down the sides. Then alternate adding the buttermilk and the rest of the flour.

7. Pour the batter into the pan. Drop the pan onto the counter from a height of four inches to remove air pockets. Smooth with a spatula.

8. Bake until the cake springs back when touched, about one hour. Place the cake in the pan on a rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan by jarring it against the counter. Invert cake onto a serving platter.