Pound Cake

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 160°C / 320°F. Butter a 900 g loaf tin and line it with a strip of paper.

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2. Beat the butter alone for 3 minutes until it is smooth, glossy and noticeably paler.

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3. Add the sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and beat a further 7 minutes, scraping down twice. The mixture should be almost white and hold soft peaks. Nothing here replaces this step.

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4. Add the beaten eggs a tablespoon at a time with the mixer running, waiting until each is fully absorbed. This takes about 8 minutes and cannot be hurried.

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5. Sift over the flour and salt and fold in with a spatula in three additions, stopping the moment the flour disappears. Add the milk only if the batter will not drop reluctantly from the spatula.

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6. Scrape into the tin, level the top, and run a buttered knife down the centre lengthways — this encourages a clean split rather than a random crack.

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7. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, covering with foil at 45 minutes if it is browning fast. A skewer must come out completely clean.

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8. Cool in the tin 20 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before slicing.

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Chef’s Tips

• Every ingredient at room temperature, especially the eggs. Cold egg is the single most common cause of a curdled pound cake batter.
• If it does curdle, keep going and add a spoonful of the flour — the cake will be slightly coarser but perfectly good.
• Slice it thick and griddle the slices in butter the next day.

Pairing Suggestions

• Macerated strawberries and cream
• A cup of Assam
• Lemon curd

Storage & Reheating

Wrapped at room temperature for 5 days; it is at its best on day two. Freezes whole for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.