Edna Lewis’ White Pound Cake
This tender pound cake from The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis is perfect on it's own or with fresh fruit.
Serves8 to 10
Makes1 (10-inch) tube pan
Edna Lewis’ white pound cake recipe is included in her “Race Day Picnic” menu in ‘The Taste of Country Cooking’. She writes in the introduction that “beautiful Montpelier, nestling in the Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by an oak forest, was the most perfect spot to have a great fall picnic.” Other recipes on the menu include cold roast pheasant, cold ham biscuits, and a salad of lentils and scallions.
Edna Lewis’ The Taste of Country Cooking is Kitchn’s November pick for our Cookbook Club. See how you can participate here.
White Pound Cake
This tender pound cake from The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis is perfect on it's own or with fresh fruit.
Makes 1 (10-inch) tube pan
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound
butter
- 2 1/3 cups
superfine sugar
- 3 cups
sifted flour
- 1/2 cup
milk
- 1/4 teaspoon
salt
- 2 teaspoons
almond extract
- 2/3 cup
(about 4 to 5) egg whites
Instructions
Place the butter in a mixing bowl and work it with a wooden spoon until it becomes shiny, about 5 minutes. Add in the sugar and blend until the mixture becomes light and the sugar granules almost disappear. After the mixture becomes well blended, begin to stir clockwise in a circular motion. Add a little of the flour and some of the milk, stirring well after each addition until both are used up, beginning and ending with flour. Add salt and almond extract.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks but are not dry. Fold into the batter, then spoon the batter into the tube pan. Set into a preheated 300°F oven. Place on the middle shelf and back at 300°F for 40 minutes, then turn up to 325°F for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and run a knife around the sides of the pan. Turn out upon a wire rack, then turn cake face up. Leave to cool. After 15 minutes of cooling, cover to prevent drying out.
Recipe Notes
Storage: When cold, store in a clean, dry tin.
Reprinted with permission from The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis, 2006. Published by Alfred A. Knopf.