With the beginning of Spring and my first dinner party of the season, I knew I wanted bright colors, fresh flavors, and few ingredients to adorn my table. I really wanted to embrace that new, fresh, colorful feeling of Spring; and the dessert I wanted to serve was no exception. It was the one course on the menu I had left to plan, and the first thing that came to mind was fruit; leaving unlimited possibilities.
Seeing as I am an official believer that dessert is the closing to any meal and that it cannot be any less impressive than the meal itself, I refused to let it be just a last minute detail. If anything, the dessert should surpass the appetizer and main course; after all, it will be the last thing your guests eat. You want your guests to leave full, happy and still talking about how amazing the dessert was while your closing the door behind them.
The fact of the matter is, a simple dessert can leave this great positive impression. The dessert does not have to be complicated and take hours to construct. Simply having the ingredients speak for themselves is a great way to showcase any plate (even dessert), and this is what 'The Classic Pound Cake' is able to accomplish for you. It is buttery, dense and rich, but the bursts of fruit flavor are still able to pop. Fresh fruit is really the star of this dish and each bite is unique.
Ingredients:
- 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
- 1⁄4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter,
at room temperature - 1 cup sugar
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1⁄2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Lightly grease and flour standard (8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2) inch loaf pan.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda and salt just until blended.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time to the wet ingredients, beating well after each addition until just blended.
6. Add half of the flour mixture over the wet mixture and stir until both are they are just incorporated.
7. Then, stir in the sour cream.
8. Then, add the remaining half of the flour mixture and stir until combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients.
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean for about 70 minutes. The cooking time will be slightly longer if using a metal pan.
11. Remove from oven placing the pan on a wire rack. Let cool for 15 minutes.
12. Run a knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and slowly slide the cake out of the pan.
13. Let cake continue to cool on rack until room temperature, slice and serve. Dust with powder sugar and top with blueberries and raspberries and lemon zest. Depending upon thickness of slice it will yield 8 to 10 servings.
2. Lightly grease and flour standard (8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2) inch loaf pan.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda and salt just until blended.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time to the wet ingredients, beating well after each addition until just blended.
6. Add half of the flour mixture over the wet mixture and stir until both are they are just incorporated.
7. Then, stir in the sour cream.
8. Then, add the remaining half of the flour mixture and stir until combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients.
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean for about 70 minutes. The cooking time will be slightly longer if using a metal pan.
11. Remove from oven placing the pan on a wire rack. Let cool for 15 minutes.
12. Run a knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and slowly slide the cake out of the pan.
13. Let cake continue to cool on rack until room temperature, slice and serve. Dust with powder sugar and top with blueberries and raspberries and lemon zest. Depending upon thickness of slice it will yield 8 to 10 servings.
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