OLD FASHIONED “REAL” POUND CAKE

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butter, Cakes, Cold Oven, eggs, flour, Food, Old Fashioned Pound Cake, Real Pound Cake, sugar

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COLD OVEN METHOD

NOTE- Cold Oven means DO NOT PREHEAT YOUR OVEN! The cake is baked from a cold oven.

I never knew why exactly but from what I have found on the internet that denser cakes have a finer grain, crumb, and texture when started in a cold oven.

Lately I have noticed on the blog statistics many searches looking for Old Fashioned Pound Cake, Real Pound Cake, A pound of everything cake and the search terms are endless.

Having grown up in a home where we made the “Old Fashioned “Real” Pound Cake I decided since I had everything at hand, it was time to make a real pound cake. Which is one of the simplest cakes that you can make.

This is a heavier dense pound cake, which uses NO Leavening what so ever, it rises from the volume of air that is beat into it. As you might have guess already your grandmother had some really good arm muscles built up to make this cake, well before the invention of electricity or electric mixers it was all done by hand.

As you might guess again, I do have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, and you are certainly right in guessing this was NOT mixed by hand!

My mother told me years ago (as in 4 decades) that this was the first cake that young girls learned to make, because it was easy to remember.

To make this cake it is as simple as pound of everything. Butter, Eggs, Sugar and Flour, a pinch of salt, dash of vanilla, and mace or nutmeg, I used freshly grated nutmeg.

OLD FASHIONED “REAL” POUND CAKE

1 Pound Butter (room temperature)

8 Eggs (Large) 7 Eggs (Extra Large) this is what I keep on hand.

3 Cups Flour Sifted

2 1/4 cups Sugar

1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoons Salt

1 to 2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg or Mace (according to personal preference)

With the flat beater of the Kitchen Aid, cream the 4 sticks butter at medium speed, for about 5 minutes, until nice and fluffy. (I stopped twice and scrapped the bowl down)

Gradually add the sugar and continue to cream the butter and sugar, adding the sugar by 1/2 cup increments slowly. (I stopped twice to scrape the bowl down)

When the creamed mixture is nice and fluffy

Add your Eggs one at a time beating on medium speed for about 1 minute each, this is what helps to incorporate the air into the cake, in place of leavening.

Once all of the eggs have been added,  add 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla (depends on preference) add the pinch of salt probably about 1/4 teaspoon, could be 1/2 teaspoon if you used unsalted butter.

If using nutmeg or mace, add this to the flour just stirring in a bit (it will all get incorporated when adding the flour (I used 1/2 a grated nutmeg in mine)

Slowly add flour in 1/2 cup measures, stirring speed to avoid flour flying all over, and gradually add flour like this until all is incorporated.

You can make this cake in a large 10” tube pan (very nice stately looking cake) or in two loaf pans, (I used loaf pans this time) and will explain why at the end.

Either Grease and dust with flour (I greased with my butter wrappers) and dusted with flour, you could use PAM or other spray coating. and dust with flour.

Pour batter into pans, and place in a COLD OVEN,  then set the oven to 325

 LOAF PANS- the baking time will be about 1 hour (check at about 45 minutes to see how they look as every oven is different.

TUBE PAN- set batter filled pan in COLD OVEN, and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2  to 2 hours (once again all ovens are different and you will want to check at about the 1 1/2 hour mark, and go from there.

What you are looking for is the top will ridge up and break, the cake will be a light brown and insert a knife in the center of the ridge and when it comes out clean it will be time to remove from the oven.

Place the pans on a wire rack and let cook for approx 20 minutes, then remove from pans, or if using the tube pan, it is helpful to run a long knife around the tube, before turning upside down.

This cake is better after it sets for a day, the flavors develop and the cake becomes more moist.

Note:

 I used loaf pans this time because as a child my Mothers favorite way to have a slice of this cake was to slice about the width of a slice of bread and then place a slice in the toaster, and it will brown slightly and serve with butter (like you need more butter) but this was very good.  I have found that sometime if you have a toaster oven this works better as the slice is not as large in size as a slice of bread.

This is also good with either season fruit on top of it (such as strawberries) or other fruits, but it is great alone!

Hot Fudge Sauce–Can Freeze

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butter, Can Freeze, Chocolate, Chocolate Sauce, cornstarch, Dark Chocolate, Desserts, Food, French Vanilla, homemade, Hot Fudge Sauce, Hot Fudge Sundae, Ice Cream, salt., Semi-Sweet Chocolate, sugar, Sundae, Unsweetened Chocolate, Vanilla, Vanilla Ice Cream, water

Do you ever get in the mood for things you should not have?, For instance a nice bowl of vanilla ice cream (my favorite is French Vanilla) with luscious Hot Fudge Sauce gracefully flowing down over the scoops of ice cream? What a treat on these hot days of summer!

Well I have to tell you I do, however over the years since all the fat free craze has simply ruined the ice cream topping that you can buy in the stores. I know my favorite of the past was Evans brand Butterscotch, that was back in the day when they actually used butter in their sauces, I do believe those days are gone forever now. I have not bought store bought in years.

Now this recipe my mother and grandmother made and it is their recipe, the wonderful thing about this is that it contains no milk, and you can make a large batch and freeze it if you wish. (we always made a large batch and froze it)

Also a note here, my mother loved it with semi-sweet  chocolate, I have made it that way, as well as 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 unsweetened, I have also made it with Dark chocolate, this is a recipe that you can experiment with the ingredients to find what you like.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE – CAN FREEZE

2 cups Sugar

6 Tablespoons Cornstarch

4  1 ounce  Squares Chocolate

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups Boiling Water

6 Tablespoons Butter

2 teaspoon Vanilla

In a medium size sauce pan,

Mix Sugar and Cornstarch together

Add Chocolate, Salt, and Boiling Water

Cook until it thickens.

Remove from heat and add Butter, and Vanilla

This can be frozen and when ready to use thaw and heat what you want in the microwave.

 

QUICK YEAST ROLLS

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Breads, butter, buttered, Crisco, flour, Food, lard, melted, Quick Yeast Rolls, rising, Rolls, shortening, unbleached, water, white, whole wheat

So often you are not in the mood or a biscuit or toast, you just want something bread like and homemade. Quick Yeast Rolls, well are not quick like biscuits, they are not quick like frozen rolls from the store either.

This recipe can be made with all white or unbleached if you prefer, however we all need fiber in our diets and the addition of the whole wheat gives you that and still makes a nice light roll.

QUICK YEAST ROLLS

1 cup white or unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup very warm water (to dissolve yeast in)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons shortening (butter, lard, Crisco actually whichever you prefer) melted

Place the flour (s) in the mixing bowl, and whisk or stir with flat paddle of the Kitchen Aid to blend.

Take flat paddle off and put dough hook on.

Take very warm water (my hot tap water seems to be the correct temp) and put the sugar, and yeast in , stir to dissolve yeast, allow a few minutes to make sure the yeast is working.

Add melted shortening and salt and stir.

Add to flour, and mix on stir speed (you may need to move the flour with a spatula into the yeast mixture to help the dough hook start mixing.

Now just allow the dough hook to mix everything into a nice soft ball, then stop,

If the dough is too sticky add a bit more flour, just toss some in and mix. I do not worry too much, take the dough out of the mixer, and put into a bowl with a bit of oil or melted shortening, flip over and let rise

NOTE:(In summer if warm it may double within 20 minutes, in winter I place my covered bowl on top of the water heater. also if using a Pyrex mixing bowl you can (if the oven is on) lightly warm the bowl in the oven and put the dough in) if baking something else while making the rolls you can place the covered bowl on the stove top to rise)

Now once doubled, punch down, and pinch of small pieces perhaps golf ball size or a bit larger and with your hands stretch, fold and shape in to balls and place in a greased square or round cake pan , cover and let rise until double (this often takes 15-20 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is,

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, place rolls in the oven, set timer for 12-15 minutes, I find that usually about 15 minutes is right, (all ovens are different so you will have to watch to see how yours does)

Remove from oven and brush tops with butter (I save butter papers for this) rub over surface to grease tops.

This looks complicated, but it is not, when you get used to doing it.

Depending on the size you choose to make the rolls you will end up with 9-12 rolls, as you can see I ended up with 13.

 

CREAMED ONION TOPS FROM GREEN ONIONS

Tags

1/2 and 1/2, Biscuits, butter, cornstarch, Green Spring Onions, half & half, milk, Roux, salt and pepper, seasonings, toast, water, yeast rolls, young onions creamed

When I was young I remember Mom making creamed onion tops for over toast and biscuits, back then I was young and did not know anything about being hard up, or making food stretch to feed two growing boys, it was just life.

During the summer months when my grandparents had the garden I often remember mom coming home from grandma’s with spring green onions (well in the summer time they were larger and older) but she would chop up the onions and the tops and cook in some water, with some salt and pepper and then when tender she would add milk, and thickening and then at the end stir in some butter. CREAMED ONION TOPS!!

Time are tight like those time back 40 to 50 years ago, so history repeats itself once again, we don’t know in life what will be fall us, or how we will cope with these hard times. However I am thankful for a good memory of the prior 50 years, that I am able to retain all of life’s lessons I learned along the way. When hard times befall us then we can go back to those days and draw on them for living today.

When you think about it this recipe for Creamed Onion Tops is the basis for many recipes, Asparagus Soup, Potato Soup, Oyster Stew, Hamburger Gravy, it is so easy to make and since so many recipes for quick meals can be created with just this one bit of knowledge you can create so many dishes for you and your family.

CREAMED ONION TOPS

1 bunch of 4-6 green Spring Onions (less can be used according to the age of the onions, more depending on how well you like onions and if they are very young)

2 cups Water

1 tablespoon butter

When onions are tender, add milk, 1/2 and 1/2 , or cream to desired amount,

Butter, Salt and Pepper, you may add some sugar, just a teaspoon to a tablespoon should do, as my grandmother and great aunt used to say, it is added to take the green taste out, however it depends on personal preference.

Thicken with 2 tablespoons Cornstarch dissolved in cool water, add to mixture stir and simmer until thickened (if too thick add more milk or water, if to thin add extra thickening.

If you are out of cornstarch you can melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a dish in the microwave and add a couple tablespoons flour and stir,  if flour make this mixture to thick add another tablespoon butter and melt, you want he consistency to be smooth, not runny, not thick. add this to the simmering water and milk mixture, and simmer for a minute or two, until the mixture thickens to desired consistency.

Serve over toast or Sour Cream Biscuits. or Quick Yeast Rolls.