Pound Cake Our Family Secret

Cardamom Vanilla Pound Cake

Source: Gourmet magazine, March 2009

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream

2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Equipment:

- a 12-cup kugelhopf or bundt pan

- a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in mixer at medium speed, scraping side of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a paring knife into butter mixture, reserving pods for another use, and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon juice until combined well. At low speed, add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Gently rap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour, then invert onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour more.

Beat cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla extract using whisk attachment of mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve cake with whipped vanilla cream.

Cooks' notes:

? If you have green cardamom pods, you can grind the seeds using a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee/spice grinder

?Cake keeps in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.

Posted by Celeste at Sunday, August 02, 2009

Labels: "Gourmet" Magazine, Decadent Desserts, Scrumptious Cakes