[Sca-cooks] Martha Washington's pound cake

[Nancy Kiel]

I always thought the "cone" in the middle of the Bundt pan was to cook 
evenly, since the cake mixture isn't as evenly distributed as in a 13x9 or a 
round flat pan.  I've never used one of the rose pans---you may want to push 
the cake mixture down a little in the center to help it cook.

Yes, all the main ingredients are 1/2 pound.  People would get really 
confused about the eggs, since we're used to counting them for a recipe, not 
weighing them.  But eggs didn't come in nicely graded sizes packed in 
styrofoam.


The butter doesn't have to be fluffy, just soft enough to mix well with the 
other ingredients.

You beat the eggs separately to help keep the cake light, as it is quite 
dense, as I'm sure you've noticed from commercial pound cakes.  The more you 
beat them, the lighter the cake will be, but you don't need to even reach 
the soft peak stage (unless you want to), so probably just beat them for a 
few minutes.

I don't know the chemistry behind buttering & flouring the pan, just that it 
helps release the baked goods from the pan.  Pam has come out with a baker's 
cooking spray that has flour in it.

Test for doneness by sticking a straw or toothpick or something similar in 
the center of the pan.  If it comes out clean, and the cake is pulling away 
from the edges of the pan, it's done.  Let it cool in the pan for a few 
minutes before turning it out.  Hope it turns out!

Nancy Kiel
nancy_kiel at hotmail.com
Never tease a weasel!
This is very good advice.
For the weasel will not like it
And teasing isn't nice.





>From: Stefan li Rous <stefanlirous at austin.rr.com>
>Reply-To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
>To: SCA-Cooks maillist SCA-Cooks <SCA-Cooks at Ansteorra.org>
>Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Martha Washington's pound cake
>Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 02:42:41 -0600
>
>
>No, I think these are standard sized Bundt pans, although one is
>shaped like a giant rose and says "12 Cup / 2.8 Liter" on the label.
>Hmmm. This newest pan doesn't have a hole in the middle, so maybe it
>isn't exactly a "Bundt" pan.  I assume it will bake similarly.
>
>I think someone said that this was where the name came from. All the
>ingredients were equal weights. But this doesn't seem to apply to the
>flavorings such as the rosewater or brandy, so perhaps this only
>applies to the several major ingredients. So, the eggs are also
>supposed to be, in this case, 1/2 pound?
>
>Hmmm. Maybe partially or completely use brown sugar instead of just
>sugar. Or use some of the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend I just picked up.

>What does this mean? Whip the butter until it is soft, maybe somewhat
>fluffy, like whipped cream?
>
><<< separate and beat the eggs; mix all together; >>>
>
>So, separate the egg whites and the egg yolks and then beat each
>separately? Anyone know why? Is this so the whites can whip into a
>cream/foam?, which mixed with the yolks (ie. fat) won't? How much
>beating? Although perhaps if the idea is to whip the whites until
>they are fluffy, says you are too whip them a long time. Doesn't the
>fat cause the whites to collapse once they are combined? Or does that
>problem of any fat keeping the whites from whipping up only matter
>during the whipping stage?
>
><<< add
>two ounces of rosewater or brandy; add the grated peel of a lemon;
>pour into buttered-and-floured pan; >>>
>
>Why do you both butter and flour the pan?
>
><<< bake at 350 until done. >>>
>
>That would be my initial guess. That seems to be a pretty common
>temperature for a lot of things.
>
><<< I'm not sure on the
>actual cooking time, probably at least half an hour and more like an
>hour. >>>
>
>I wouldn't have had any idea. Thanks for the range. That way I know
>when to start looking. I assume you cook it until a toothpick stuck
>in to it comes out clean? Or, like meats, is there a core temperature
>which will tell me when a cake is done?
>
>Stefan
>--------
>THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>     Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas
>StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
>**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****
>
>
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