Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake

[forty_caliber]

This is one of my family's favorite cakes. Put one together yesterday. The real trick is to closely follow the directions concerning mixing times. Let the stand mixer run and do the work.

Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake
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Recipe By: Adapted from Gourmet
Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for buttering pan
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising, sift before measuring) plus additional for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
Special equipment: a 10-inch tube pan (4 1/2 inches deep, not with a removable bottom) or a 10-inch bundt pan (3 1/4 inches deep; 3-qt capacity)

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.

2. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.

3. Sift together sifted flour (3 cups) and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total).

4. Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.

5. Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles. Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

[forty_caliber]

Here is a pic of the final product. Sliced and ready for serving.

.40

[taxlady]

Sounds yummy.

Why "a 10-inch tube pan (4 1/2 inches deep, not with a removable bottom)"?

[forty_caliber]

Originally Posted by taxlady

Sounds yummy.

Why "a 10-inch tube pan (4 1/2 inches deep, not with a removable bottom)"?

Not sure really? Maybe Elvis liked it that way! :). I always make it in 2 2# loaf pans.

.40

[Alix]

Copied and pasted. Thanks .40

[Rocklobster]

Originally Posted by forty_caliber

4. Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.

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Hmmm. You'd think intsead of beating it together, Elvis would have wanted it all shook up.

[Alix]

Hey, I have some eggnog I'd like to use up. Think I could sub it for the heavy cream or would that negatively affect the crumb?

[Zhizara]

Originally Posted by Alix

Hey, I have some eggnog I'd like to use up. Think I could sub it for the heavy cream or would that negatively affect the crumb?

You could make regular pound cake and use the eggnog to make French toast using pound cake instead of bread.

[Alix]

Its in the oven with the eggnog sub. I'll let you know how it went.

[Alix]

Lovely crumb, a moist beautiful cake. A teensy bit on the sweet side for me, but that's easily remedied with some fruit goop.