Baking Experiment- Pound Cake with Craisins and Almonds
Schools have closed for the summer and I feel that after a marathon I am finally due for a bit of rest. Relaxed no rush days will be the norm for the next couple of months.
I have read baking is an exact science unlike cooking where straying from the list of ingredients and measurements is usually not disastrous. Whereas with baking usually sticking to the measurements and steps is a good thing. Alas, I feel alive only if I tweak and change a bit of this and that. They have worked most of the time but in the last one I did one too many substitutions and the result though not a complete disaster was not a grand success either. The kids ate them with their usual enthusiasm and also give a bit of praise in the process. Thank God! for kids. On the other DH's face said it all. The cake turned out denser than usual and a tad sticky. With the craisins the cake looks beautiful though.
The recipe I have and which never fails calls for 2 cups of flour and 2 sticks of butter. I substituted with a cup of whole wheat flour (atta - used for making chapatis), cut out one stick of butter, added 16 oz of unsweetened flour. I should have stopped there, I added a 1/4 cup more whole wheat flour because the batter was slightly loose which probably was the undoing. I tried the same recipe before but with 2 sticks of butter and the Whole wheat flour and it was really good. I will present here only the recipe that worked and gave good results and I will stash the experiment for now till I actually have it working.
Pound Cake with craisins and almonds
1. 2 Cups Flour (1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour)
2. 2 Sticks butter (16 tbsp)
3. 4 Eggs
4. 1/4 cup milk (optional)
5. a pinch of salt
6. a pinch of baking powder
7. handful almonds run through the food processor once
8. handful of craisins
9. 3/4 cup sugar
10. 1/2 cup maple syrup
11. 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375F
1. Prepare the cake pans by coating the sides with butter ( I used a loaf pan)
2. Beat the butter and sugar together with a egg beater
3. Whisk the eggs separately
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt to mix
5. Add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture slowly and whisk it in.
6. Add the eggs as the mixture starts to get dry.
7. Add the milk only if the mixture is too dry
8. Add the vanilla extract
9. fold in the crushed almonds and craisins.
10. Pour it into the pans and let bake for 40 minutes till the sides are brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Have a great summer everyone. Will talk to you all from near the equator when we meet next time.
25 comments:
I never try to experiment with measurements when baking cakes and sometimes desserts especially Indian sweets.
Have a great summer you too.
I don't bake much either. At least not from scratch.
Hey, the kids liked it! :) It does look good. And pretty too, like u said.
dh's face said it all:) ? it looks beautiful tho' the craisins & almonds adds beauty to anything they are added to. I do not actually mind dense cakes, as long as they are not rock hard.
I started my marathon now Indhu, my dreams of rested vacation is over:-( DDs are into n number of activities.
Wow! those look so good. Great baking dear!
Cake looks fantastic with craisins. Enjoy your much deserved rest, Indo! :)
The cake has a beautiful color and is so well studded with jewel-like craisins.
Might I suggest whole wheat pastry flour instead of atta for baked goods? That might result in lighter and less sticky results while still keeping the whole grain goodness.
the cake looks very good in fact!
The cake looks good, Indo!! Enjoy the summer!!! :)
and yes, I can't try any recipe without tweaking it, either.
The cake looks yummy and I am yet to experiment with whole wheat flour. I have tried substituting with powdered oats, corn flour and they have worked well. You can find such cake recipes in my blog too. The pound cakes are my favorite but once I experimented with them and its a failure. But any nut powder substituition had worked for me (almond, cashew). They give a nice texture and softness and were not sticky at all. All out of my experience, adding moe flour will actually spoil it. You can substitute the flour content with different ratios of what I have listed above but do not add more. So enjoy your summertime with kids. Expecting lot more kid's favorites!
WOow wat a gorgeous poundcake, looks too soft and prefect!
I too most of the time try to do the measurments correct.
Hee we still have to wait for the holiday for 2 weeks.
I am like you, I love to tweak. This cake looks doable probably ;-)
Schools are closed already ? When do you go to India ?
2:2 is easy to remember... Nice tip! Cake looks so nice! Good work! Sure kids would have enjoyed them...
I'm a bit wary about tweaking recipes when it comes to baking - i just don't have the knack for it. That looks delicious and I love the craisin and almond addition.
"Will talk to you all from near the equator when we meet next time." LOL I liked that. The baking experiment looks very successful. I like the way you have thinly cut the slices, one can taste the cake very well that way.
I am the same way! i cannot follow a recipe till i put my own spin to it ;)..keep experimenting and have fun...and your kids are too sweet...
Love craisins and the cake looks mouth watering, i too cannot follow the recipe without adding my own additions :)
Love the addition of raisins in the cake! Diff recipe.
Cake looks really inviting !
Yeah I agree, experimenting with baking has resulted me horrible experiences. I can't forget my second cake:) Though we all stick to the recipe when we are trying for the first time.
From then I use the store bought cake mix as a base for most of the cakes I make..(except for the Christms fruit cake).
But ur pound cake looks so rich n delicious in my eyes .
Btw, the 'Potluck - chicken ' event is in air.
http://elitefoods.blogspot.com/2009/06/potluck-chicken-event-round-up.html
Hope u enjoy it.
the cake looks just perfect...pretty color!
Now u sound like me Indo who find it hard to stick to exact measurements and procedures ;)
what i see here is one gorgeous pound cake... they almost look like sweet fruit bread we get in India. yummilicious :)
going home? enjoy ur summer break.. and relax well and recharge.:)
Thats really looking good yah...perfect..as u said kids will love it..
Post a Comment