Glazed Butter Cake, Found
I excitedly headed to the city a couple of months ago to pick up my copy of Erin French’s new book, Big Heart Little Stove. I became a fan after reading her biography and watching her show, The Lost Kitchen. Her food is simple and beautiful. She focuses on sourcing amazing locally-grown products from small farms. If you watch her show, you know the setting for The Lost Kitchen is a historic, gorgeous stone grist mill set next to a waterfall. The dining room exudes rustic charm and gives guests a birdseye view of the kitchen area. In short, the setting is breathtaking.
On one episode she served a Glazed Butter Pound Cake with a poached donut peach and creme anglaise. I adore a pound cake and knew I would be looking for the recipe. Growing up, I loved pound cake, especially Sara Lee’s or Ping Yuen Bakery’s Pound Cake. Many of you are familiar with the iconic Sara Lee version (HERE is a love letter & recipe to that very cake by Eric Kim, his version is SPOT ON), however, only folks around my age or older who lived or frequented San Francisco Chinatown, will be familiar with Ping Yuen Bakery & Cafe version. Conveniently, located downstairs from my parent’s office, we often stopped there to buy deli items and baked goods to bring home. I always lobbied for their buttery, fine-crumb pound cake.
Pound Cake Groupie
The cake is in her new book and in my book, you can never have too many butter-pound cake recipes. First, cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and follow with alternating the dry ingredients with the buttermilk into the batter. Finish the cake with the butter and confectioner’s sugar glaze.
There’s my postcard! Iykyk
Bake in a 9×5 loaf pan until golden brown. It took approximately 45 minutes instead of the 25 minutes listed in the directions. Start testing for doneness at 20 minutes. If the top gets too dark, cover it with foil.
Icing, Icing, Baby
Glaze cake with the butter-powdered sugar icing. The addition of vanilla and almond extracts adds a ton of flavor. Feel free to substitute rum or Bourbon for the almond extract. The glaze gives the cake a shiny donut-like finish.
Serve with fresh berries, whipped cream, creme anglaise, or by itself. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy!
Glazed Butter Cake
Equipment
- 1 9x5 loaf pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt or 1/4 tsp reg salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter 8 tbsp or 4oz.
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk shake well before measuring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Butter Glaze
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter 8 T or 4 oz
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract substitute rum extract or rum or bourbon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan, line with parchment, set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy ~ 5 minutes
- Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating the first egg before adding the next egg.
- With the mixer on low, add approximately 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter, mix until combined then add 1/2 of buttermilk, again mix until well combined. Repeat this process, ending with the flour mixture. Add vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Note, my cake took about 45 minutes. Begin testing at 20 minutes. Remove cake and place it on a rack to cool. Meanwhile, make the glaze.
Glaze
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and 1/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Remove pan from heat and let glaze cool a little. Whisk in vanilla and almond extracts. As the glaze cools it will thicken slightly.
- Allow cake to cool and remove from pan. Brush the bottom, sides and the top generously with the glaze.
- Slice and serve. Feel free to add berries, whipped cream or a creme anglaise.