Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does cream of tartar do in pound cake? ›

Cream of tartar acts as a dry acid, reacting with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) during the baking process. This acid-base reaction generates carbon dioxide gas, creating bubbles that contribute to the leavening of baked goods. This is especially crucial in recipes where a light and fluffy texture is desired.

Adjusting the cooking time and temperature

If your cake has a soggy middle, the first thing to try is bringing the temperature down a little and baking for slightly longer. I'd suggest reducing the temperature by 20 degrees and increasing the baking time for 7 minutes.

Pound cake, in particular, bakes at a fairly moderate temperature. An oven that is too hot will cause the cake to set too quickly and prevent the cake from rising. An oven that is too cool can cause the cake to fall because it won't set quickly enough.

But there's no need to panic - there's an easy way to fix a dry cake. Simply soak your cake in milk for 30 minutes to an hour. The milk will help to rehydrate the cake, making it moist and delicious. Just be sure to brush off any excess milk before serving.

The ratio is usually 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar for every egg white.

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Not 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

There are several possible causes for what is called a sad streak in a pound cake. One is that there wasn't enough stirring in the early stages of preparing the batter. The other is that the cake needs to 'set' the crumb when you first remove it from the oven.

Be careful not to overbeat the butter-sugar mixture, especially on a hot day — you could rupture the air cells and cause the batter to be heavy.

Crack eggs, beat whites and yolks together, THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need). 2. Cake flour – This flour works considerably better for pound cake than using plain/all-purpose flour (see in post for comparison). It rises better, and has a more tender crumb.

Starting in a cold oven gives those leaveners more time to work. In addition, the edges of the cake don't set as quickly when starting in a cold oven, which enables the cake to rise higher.

How long do you let a pound cake cool before removing from the pan? ›

When it's done baking, let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes: no more, no less. It's enough time for the cake to firm up some after baking so that it doesn't fall apart, but not so much time that the cake gets stuck to the pan. Ten minutes is the sweet spot.

The most common recipes that call for cream of tartar are those that call for egg whites to be whipped, like angel food cake, genoise cake, meringue, and macarons. Jampel says that is because cream of tartar works as an egg white stabilizer that increases both the volume and shelf life of the meringue.

Cream of tartar wears many hats in the kitchen. It adds tang to snickerdoodles, stabilizes egg whites for fluffy angel food cakes and light-as-air meringues, and prevents sugar from crystallizing for smooth syrups and chewy cookies.

Culinary uses

Bakers often use cream of tartar in baked goods by mixing it with egg whites to help create stiff peaks in meringue. This prevents the formation of sugar crystals. Cream of tartar can be a substitute for anything from buttermilk to baking powder and lemon juice in your favorite recipes.

Use the Right Greaser

Do not use butter; the milk solids in butter can act like glue, causing the cake batter to stick to the pan. After greasing, sprinkle some flour in the pan, hold it over a sink, and tilt the pan in a circular motion in order to distribute the flour evenly.