Pound cake, a timeless dessert known for its dense crumb and rich flavour, is traditionally made with a pound each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.
While the traditional method involves creaming butter and sugar, the world of baking offers several alternative techniques. Today we explore and compare three pound cake methods:
- Traditional Creaming
- Butter Flour Method
- Egg Separation Method
We'll unveil how each method impacts the final cake, from texture and density to rise and overall character.
Ingredients and Preparation
For comparison purposes, we will be using the same ingredients, amount, and mould. Here's the recipe that we used:
- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100g sugar
- 100g eggs, at room temperature
- 100g Nisshin Crystal (cake flour)
- 2g baking powder
Method #1 - Traditional Creaming
For this method, we start by creaming softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy like shown below:
The beaten eggs are then added into the batter, a bit at a time. If the eggs are not added in bit by bit, and mixed well in between each addition, the batter may split and separate.
The flour and baking powder mixture goes in last. The batter is then mixed until smooth and well-combined.
This is the most common method, with the only downside being that the butter tends to separate when you mix the eggs, but it can be easily rectified by adding a small amount of cake flour in between each addition.
To avoid the batter from splitting, it is important to ensure butter and eggs are at room temperature.
Method #2 - Butter Flour
Unlike the traditional method, this method involves creaming softened butter with flour and baking powder for several minutes until well combined.
The sugar is then added in and mixed until well incorporated.
Lastly, the beaten egg is added in one go and mixed well until batter turns pale and light like shown in image below:
This is the most fail-proof method as the batter will definitely not split given that the liquid is added at the very end.
Method #3 - Egg Separation
Start by creaming softened butter and 50g of sugar until whitish, light and fluffy.
The egg yolks are then added in, and beaten until well combined and smooth.
In a separate bowl, place the egg whites and the remaining 50g sugar, and beat until soft to medium peak forms.
Add 1/3 of the meringue and fold well with a rubber spatula until well combined.
Add in half of the flour and gently fold in with a rubber spatula. Next, add half of the remaining meringue and fold together.
Add the remaining flour and mix, then add all the meringue and mix until the batter is smooth and glossy.
Since the egg yolks and whites are separated, there is no need to worry about the splitting. However it is definitely more tedious having to separate the eggs, meaning there's the need to use two separate bowls, which is more time consuming.
It is recommended to use a piping bag to pipe batter into the lined mould to avoid air bubbles formation.
For comparison purposes, all three pound cakes were baked in a preheated oven at 170°C for 40 minutes.
Let's see how the final result will vary after baking!
Will There Be a Difference? Let's Compare Texture & Taste!
Using the same ingredients and amount, it seems that using different method to mix the batter does affect the end product in terms of appearance and texture.
APPEARANCE
Method #3 ended up with the biggest volume and the nicest crack.
Method #1 was only just slightly smaller in volume compared to Method #3, but it was significantly much taller than Method #2. However Method #1 had the most ununiformed crack.
Method #2 had the smallest volume; significantly shorter than the other two pound cakes.
TASTE & TEXTURE
Method #1
- Tender & soft crumbs
- Smoothest & most moist
Method #2
- Tighter & denser crumbs
- Velvety texture resembling chilled cheesecake
Method #3
- Lightest crumb texture
- More crumbly
We did blind tasting in the office, and the most popular choice within our team was the pound cake made using method #2 butter flour.
For experimental purposes, we stored all 3 pound cakes in an air tight container, and tested again on Day 3. The cake made with Method #1 remained moist and rich. The cake made with Method #2 had the dryest mouthfeel and cake made with Method #3 was slightly dry and was the most crumbly.
Which Method Will You Choose?
It was surprising to see how different the texture and taste of the pound cake can change, even though we used the same ingredients and amount - just with different preparation method.
Armed with the knowledge of these three methods, you can now choose the method that best suits your taste - whether you like your pound cake dense and buttery, light and airy, or somewhere in between. Don't be afraid to experiment and discover your own perfect pound cake. Happy baking!