Timeless traditions: Exploring the history of pound cake
There's no simpler recipe to remember than the one for pound cake, a British loaf cake. According to some, this traditional old English cake is the prototype for our sand cake. You only need four ingredients to make it.
According to the original recipe, you need a pound of each ingredient for the cake batter. However, when converted to grams, such a cake would be huge. To prepare it, you would need 2 sticks of butter and as many as 8 eggs because one pound is exactly 454 grams. So, you can easily reduce the amount of ingredients by half. For this recipe, maintaining the correct proportions is not difficult.
Pound cake from "Harry Potter"
This traditional British loaf cake is mentioned by J.K. Rowling in the seventh part of "Harry Potter." The cake appears in a passage about an interview with Rita Skeeter, which Harry reads in the newspaper:
“In person, Rita Skeeter is much warmer and softer than her famously ferocious quill-portraits might suggest. Greeting me in the hallway of her cozy home, she leads me straight into the kitchen for a cup of tea, a slice of pound cake and, it goes without saying, a steaming vat of freshest gossipe” – Rowling, J. K. (2007). In Memoriam, in: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
However, the true history of the pound cake recipe dates back to the early 18th century, when leavening agents were not added to the cake. It wasn't until the 19th century that people started enriching the recipe with baking powder and other additives to improve the cake's texture. The traditional bake is somewhat dense, but the British don't mind. They love to serve the cake, just like scones, with thick sweet cream, butter, honey, or homemade preserves.
The evolution of the traditional British loaf cake recipe
Depending on the region, you can find different variations of the British loaf cake, for example, with fruits, almonds, or candied citrus peel. Across the ocean, the cake made with sour cream is very popular, resulting in a much more delicate and creamy taste.
Pound cake recipe
I've reduced the original proportions by half.
Ingredients:
- 200 g all-purpose flour,
- 200 g sugar,
- 4 eggs,
- 200 g softened butter.
Instructions:
- Place the softened butter in a bowl. Use a mixer to cream it with the sugar until fluffy.
- Gradually add one egg at a time.
- Finally, mix in the flour sifted through a sieve.
- Pour the batter into a buttered pan and place it in the oven preheated to 177°C for 40 minutes.
- Use a wooden skewer to check if the cake is baked through. Remove and leave to cool.
