Álvaro Ramírez
Grandma's vanilla pound cake
My grandmother Hilda used to bake this for us grandkids. I don't know the origin of the recipe, but my parents, aunts, and cousins, they all bake it too. I'm a big fan, but only get to eat it when visiting. Yesterday, I changed that. Finally baked it myself \o/
Ingredients
- 200g salted butter
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups (375 g) plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Málaga Virgen wine (port works too)
Prep
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before you start.
- Preheat oven at 175C.
- Separate egg yolks and whites. Keep both.
- Consolidate liquids into a bowl (milk + wine + vanilla).
- Consolidate sifted powders into a bowl (flour + baking powder).
Meringue
- Beat egg whites into a snowy meringue. Set aside.
Mixer
- Beat butter in the mixer until creamy (important).
- Add sugar and mix thoroughly ensuring creamy consistency remains (important).
- Mix yolks in thoroughly one by one.
- Mix in the meringue.
- You're done with the mixer.
Hand mixing
- With a wooden spoon, alternate hand mixing the liquids and the powders. Start with liquids and end with powders.
Pour into mould
- Pour the mix into a non-stick baking mould.
Bake
- Bake in oven between 60 and 70 mins, but don’t be afraid to leave longer if needed. Mileage varies across ovens.
- Use a cake tester after 60 minutes to decide how much longer to bake for (if needed).