Shruti Ranganathan Jothi

My very first venture into baking was the classic pound cake. Since then I’ve baked several variations of the pound cake every holiday season.

I always start with the classic pound cake recipe as a frame of reference since it is literally flour:butter:sugar:eggs in a 1:1:1:1 ratio (by weight, not cups) mixed together and baked until done. I usually use 8oz flour, 8oz butter, 8oz sugar and 4 eggs to make a cake that gives about 10 servings. There is plenty of recipes for pound cake on the internet. In this article, I just want to highlight what I did differently to achieve this light, buttery cake with an Indian flavor twist.

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Tweak the flour:butter:sugar ratio

In a pound cake the flour:butter:sugar ratio is 1:1:1 to create a sweet and dense cake. For this version of the cake, I reduced the amount of butter by about 1/4 and added some milk instead to make sure the amount of liquid ingredients is still adequate.

Don’t dump the ingredients all at once before mixing

I like to whisk the eggs, sugar and butter before adding the flour and beating for a few seconds (only until mixed). Beating the eggs ahead creates a lighter and fluffier cake than mixing everything together.

Use baking powder and flavors

Unlike the classic pound cake, I added some baking powder for a lighter cake instead of relying purely on the eggs for the rise. Finally, I added some cardamom seeds and saffron threads to taste. When it comes to these flavors, less is more. Take care to not add too much.

Top with almonds

While the cake is baking in the oven, remove around half time and top with almonds and return to oven to complete baking. I am not adding exact details of time to bake since that will depend on the size of cake, type of pan and other factors.

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I’ve also been playing with pistachio in the cake and buttercream this season. Try your own variations and combinations with this cake!