Julia's Pound Cake Recipe

So I realized that I posted about making this pound cake but never posted the recipe. It's way too good not to share and has become my "go-to" dessert when I'm wanting something sweet. It consistently comes out great, isn't too decadent, and I always have all the ingredients right in my pantry.

So, here you go...

Vanilla Pound Cake

Julia Child

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature, whisked to blend

1 cup milk, at room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan (ex: bunt pan).

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl.

Put the butter into a bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld mixer) and beat at medium speed until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides and beaters with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

With the mixer still at medium speed, begin to add the eggs in small additions, about a tbsp at a time. If the mixture becomes watery or shiny, stop adding the eggs and beat at an increased speed until it smoothes out. When the batter has come together again, decrease the speed to medium and continue adding eggs, scraping down the beaters and sides of the bowl from time to time; it will take 3-4 minutes to incorporate the eggs. The mixture is properly combined when it appears white, fluffy and increased in volume.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the milk alternately – 4 additions of flour, 3 of milk – scraping the beaters and sides of the bowl frequently and mixing until the batter is smooth after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix just to blend.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooking rack and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a rack, remove the pan and cool to room temperature. The cake is best served in thin slices.

The cake can be kept covered at room temperature for about 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. Keep in mind that stale pound cake is excellent slightly toasted and used as the base for ice cream sundaes.

*I lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar 

Carrot Cake & Lemon Bars

On Easter I decided to make a carrot cake and lemon bars (that's easter-y, right?) I apologize that there aren't any pictures with this post. I thought about not posting at all because of that but I thought, a picture-less post is better than no post at all.

So the carrot cake. amazingness. I'm making this again asap.

The recipe is found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Cake-III/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
•  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Seriously delicious. I put the frosting in the microwave for a few seconds so that it spread easily on the cake. Worked very well. Now I'm just wishing there was more of it.


As for the Lemon bars, I found this recipe on epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Bars-101162

I haven't ever made lemon bars before but I found them really easy and pretty delicious.