Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 450 g butter
• 450 g flour
• 450 g powdered sugar
• 12 eggs
• lemon peel, grated
• nutmeg
• 150 ml brandy

Method

Pound cake is built on creaming, the mechanical incorporation of air into fat. This is your controlling principle. Cream the softened butter with the caster sugar for 8–10 minutes until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and roughly doubled in volume. The sugar crystals cut into the butter, trapping air bubbles; this aeration is what gives the cake its tender crumb and rise in the oven. Do not skimp here — underbeaten butter and sugar will produce a dense, heavy cake.

Whisk the eggs separately until they hold soft peaks, then reserve the foam that collects at the surface; this concentrated egg white adds extra lift. Sift the flour three times to remove lumps and introduce air. Now alternate: add a third of the beaten egg to the creamed butter, beat until combined, add a third of the flour, beat again. Repeat twice more. The sequential addition prevents the flour from overmixing with the fat, which would toughen the gluten and ruin the crumb. Fold in the reserved egg foam gently — this is delicate work, use a spatula and work in two additions. Stir in the grated lemon peel, nutmeg, and brandy.

The brandy here is more than flavour; the alcohol partly inhibits gluten development during mixing, keeping the cake tender, and evaporates during baking. The spice acts as a dairy-friendly counterpoint, cutting richness without competing with citrus. Divide the batter between two buttered and floured loaf tins (or one 20 cm round cake tin). The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape but soft enough to spread gently without resistance.

Bake at 160°C for 50–70 minutes depending on tin size. The cake is done when the top is deep golden-brown, the edges are pulling very slightly from the tin, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean — no crumbs clinging to it. A faint crack down the centre is normal and expected. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. The flavour deepens after 24 hours.