MARBLED SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE

I love this pound cake so much that days after I took all these photos, I went back and made it again – marbled and everything, simply because we didn’t get enough of the first and wanted more. Many of you loved my blood orange pound cake and this recipe uses the same base so I know you’ll love it too. Plus, it’s half chocolate pound cake!

Recipe Origins:

To get a moist pound cake you need to use the good fats, hence sour cream pound cake. Butter is a given, but adding sour cream will make for a richer, super moist and tender cake. In my experience, a sour cream pound cake is far and wide better than one made with milk or even heavy cream because it leads to a moist, melt-in-your-mouth bite.

Also similar to the blood orange pound cake, I use cake flour here too; the fine mill of cake flour and the added starch to it make for a tight, tender crumb. This is the way to get that iconic pound cake texture just so.

What is a Pound Cake??

A pound cake is a rich buttery confection, made with flour, butter, sugar and eggs, with some or the other leavener added to the batter. It was named pound cake because traditionally in the recipe a pound of each of the four ingredients were added to the batter. The pound cake is said to have originated from the Northern European regions, and is dated back to the 1700s. A recipe was also published in USA’s first ever cookbook in 1796, called the American Cookery. The humble pound cake has had many variations over time with orange and other fruit juices added to it. It is traditionally baked in a loaf pan or in a fluted mold.

FAQ for Marble Pound Cake:

How to soften butter quickly?

My cheat way of doing this is popping butter (in it’s paper wrapper) in the microwave for 10 seconds or less. Never to the point of melting it, but just so that if I press it it leaves an indentation.

Why do we beat pound cake batter so long?

Most cakes need air beaten into them in order for them to rise, usually you’ll add baking soda or baking powder to make those air bubbles bigger so the cake rises in the oven. A classic pound cake has no leavening and so we’ll beat as much air as possible into it. That along with the eggs will help it rise and become tender.

Can I make substitutions for this marble pound cake recipe?

No substitutions for the eggs, butter or sugar. If you cannot find cake flour, you may use all purpose flour (perhaps even swapping out a tablespoon of it for some cornstarch) and it’s possible a full-fat greek yogurt would work here instead of sour cream, though I haven’t tried it.

How can I vary up the flavor in this pound cake recipe?

This recipe yields a classic vanilla & chocolate cake but you can add some lemon or orange zest to it, or some spices (cinnamon! cardamom!) to jazz it up a bit.