Have your ingredients at room temperature before you start.
The size of sugar crystals can make a cake a winner or a dud. If your pound cake turns out perfect then you better make note of what type of sugar you used and use the same crystal size the next time you bake pound cakes. If your cake is soft in the middle, the size of the sugar that you used could be the reasons why.
One of the most common mistakes in baking cakes is to over beat the batter after adding the flour.
Don't wing it. You must measure the ingredients.
Don't leave out the baking soda if your recipe calls for it. You need the baking soda to help the cake rise and create the little bubbles that lighten the texture of the cake.
If you are using a salted butter you won’t need to add salt to your batter.
Try using Cake Flour for a better textured cake. Two different kinds of flours are used in pound cake recipes - cake flour and all purpose flour. Cake flour is milled from soft wheat flour and yields a soft, fine texture. All purpose flour is milled from both hard and soft wheat and yields a taller, firmer cake.
The most important step in pound cake making is creaming the butter or shortening with the electric mixer. The air whipped into the cake during the creaming process makes the cake rise during baking.
Greasing and flouring the pan prevents the cake from sticking. Use solid shortening for greasing rather than butter, margarine, or cooking spray.
Cool the cake right side up on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. This gives the cake time to firm up and prevents it from breaking.
Troubleshooting:
Batter Overflows:
Overmixing, or too much batter in pan
Sticky Crust :
Too much sugar
Damp Cake: C
ooled too long in pan, or underbaking
Tough Crust:
Overmixing, or not enough sugar, fat, or leavening
Sinking in Center:
*Underbaking, or removed from pan too soon
*Exposed to draft during baking or cooling
*Too much liquid, leavening, or sugar
Heavy Texture:
Not enough leavening, or overmixing
Old baking powder or baking soda
Too much fat, sugar, or liquid
Crust too brown on bottom:
Use of dark baking pan
Pan too low in oven
Cake Falls:
Insufficient baking time
Oven temperature too low (check with oven thermometer)
Removed from pan too soon
Outside Links & Resources for Making the Best Pound Cakes
catsue.wordpress.com/lemon-poppy-seed-pound-cake
sippitysup.com/perfect-lemon-poppy-seed-tips-techniques
southernliving.com/tips-for-baking-a-perfect-pound-cake
The size of sugar crystals can make a cake a winner or a dud. If your pound cake turns out perfect then you better make note of what type of sugar you used and use the same crystal size the next time you bake pound cakes. If your cake is soft in the middle, the size of the sugar that you used could be the reasons why.
One of the most common mistakes in baking cakes is to over beat the batter after adding the flour.
Don't wing it. You must measure the ingredients.
Don't leave out the baking soda if your recipe calls for it. You need the baking soda to help the cake rise and create the little bubbles that lighten the texture of the cake.
If you are using a salted butter you won’t need to add salt to your batter.
Try using Cake Flour for a better textured cake. Two different kinds of flours are used in pound cake recipes - cake flour and all purpose flour. Cake flour is milled from soft wheat flour and yields a soft, fine texture. All purpose flour is milled from both hard and soft wheat and yields a taller, firmer cake.
The most important step in pound cake making is creaming the butter or shortening with the electric mixer. The air whipped into the cake during the creaming process makes the cake rise during baking.
Greasing and flouring the pan prevents the cake from sticking. Use solid shortening for greasing rather than butter, margarine, or cooking spray.
Cool the cake right side up on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. This gives the cake time to firm up and prevents it from breaking.
Troubleshooting:
Batter Overflows:
Overmixing, or too much batter in pan
Sticky Crust :
Too much sugar
Damp Cake: C
ooled too long in pan, or underbaking
Tough Crust:
Overmixing, or not enough sugar, fat, or leavening
Sinking in Center:
*Underbaking, or removed from pan too soon
*Exposed to draft during baking or cooling
*Too much liquid, leavening, or sugar
Heavy Texture:
Not enough leavening, or overmixing
Old baking powder or baking soda
Too much fat, sugar, or liquid
Crust too brown on bottom:
Use of dark baking pan
Pan too low in oven
Cake Falls:
Insufficient baking time
Oven temperature too low (check with oven thermometer)
Removed from pan too soon
Outside Links & Resources for Making the Best Pound Cakes
catsue.wordpress.com/lemon-poppy-seed-pound-cake
sippitysup.com/perfect-lemon-poppy-seed-tips-techniques
southernliving.com/tips-for-baking-a-perfect-pound-cake
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