Small Vanilla Pound Cake
The whole wheat pastry flour keeps the center delicate, while the bread flour gives the cake structure and a bit of a crust. This is a small cake so be sure to use a loaf pan that is around 8x4 rather than 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch or larger.
Servings 8
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour (See note about subs) (120 grams)
- ½ cup bread flour (70 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool room temperature (114 grams)
- ½ cup 2 oz confectioners’ sugar (56 grams
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (125 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream (120 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract or you substitute a teaspoon of lemon zest
Crunchy Sugar Glaze
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x4 inch loaf pan with flour-added baking spray.
- Mix together the flours and salt and set aside. In bowl of stand mixer, cream the butter, sugars and baking powder until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Lower the mixer’s speed and add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract (or lemon).
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes . While the cake is baking, mix together the glaze ingredients.
- Remove the cake from the oven and brush the glaze over the top of the cake. Return to the oven a bake for 15 more minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. (Total bake time is about 55 minutes to an hour). Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Notes
This recipe calls for a very lightly spoon whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour weighs less than whole wheat flour, so if you choose to use regular whole wheat flour, ignore the volume and just weigh out 4.2 or about 120 grams. If you don't have a scale, use 1 cup. You could also swap in white pastry flour.