More Cake!

I have been meaning to make this cake forever. I usually make a lemon pound cake, but wanted to try this one for my daughters birthday barbecue in the park on the weekend. Pound cakes are perfect for transporting.

Served with lashings of whipped cream and piles of sweet, local strawberries, this was a hit. It happily fed the 25 people at the party, a few of the big boys (a.k.a Dad's) were seen going back for seconds.

I only had half a piece and I am going to make it again. I wonder if I could put a little less sugar in it next time? The raw mixture had tasted like pure ice-cream, very sweet ice-cream. But when served with the unsweetened whipped cream, there was a good balance. I have written the recipe here, just as Paula Dean's grandmother would have made it.

I have also added some 'bundt cake tin' secrets.

This was my first bundt cake that came out perfectly. Perhaps it was my 'new tips' or perhaps it was just the non stick tin, I'm not sure. Earlier on in the year, I bought a smaller, German made, bundt tin from the op shop. It is so cute, but it is old and doesn't have a modern non-stick surface. When I used it, the cake got stuck (the tin is deep and narrow). It was not pretty.

Do you have trouble with Bundt tins?

Sour Cream Pound Cake

makes 1 large bundt cake

• 225 grams butter (softened)
• 3 cups caster sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease and flour a 25cm diameter Bundt tin*. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla and then the sour cream. Mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.

* How to remove a cake from a Bundt tin

• It is important to grease the tin properly before baking the cake. Using a pastry brush, coat the Bundt tin with solid vegetable shortening. (I used butter) Make sure that you have greased the entire tin thoroughly, including all of the nooks and crannies.

• Dust the tin lightly with flour. Tap the tin with the palms of your hand to distribute the flour evenly throughout the Bundt tin. Turn the tin over to remove any excess flour. Regrease and reflour any areas of the tin where the flour did not stick.

• Just before the cake is finished baking, place a folded bathroom towel in the kitchen sink. Soak the towel with boiling water. When the cake comes out of the oven, place the tin on top of the towel and let it sit for 10 seconds.

• To unmold the cake, immediately invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Use care as the cake will be very hot.

• If the cake starts to break apart before it's out of the tin, allow the cake to cool in the tin for an additional 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a rubber spatula or plastic knife. Try to unmold the cake again, using the same steam-removal method.
 

I used this 'steam-removal method' and my cake came out perfectly. I'm now digging out all of those European cake recipes that use a Bundt tin. Honestly, I had avoided making them, for fear of disaster.