Aga Pound Cake
Courtesy of Gregory Knott
1. Place the cake baker with its lid into the roasting oven to warm. Set the trivet aside.
2. Line the medium cake tin with bake-o-glide or with butter and flour.
3. Dice butter into small pats and arrange evenly along the base and sides of a large mixing bowl.
4. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the butter. If using cold butter, set bowl onto a folded towel on one of the Aga lids to soften. Meanwhile, measure out other ingredients.
5. Using the wire whisk attachment, cream together the butter and sugar at a medium-high speed. Scrape bowl and beat until fluffy.
6. With mixer on a medium speed, add beaten eggs in a steady, SLOW stream (this should take a full 30 seconds).
7. Add extracts.
8. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour.
9. Scrape bowl and mix again on medium-high speed for about 15 seconds to introduce air into the batter.
10. Turn batter into prepared tin, and spread so that the outer edges are a bit higher than the middle.
11. Stand tin in the cake-baker trivet and carefully place into the preheated cake baker. Adjust so that tin is centered. Replace lid, and carefully return to the roasting oven floor.
12. Check for doneness after one hour by inserting a wooden skewer into the center of the cake. The center should be springy and the sides will pull away from the tin when done.
NOTES:
-- Recipe can be halved and baked in the smallest cake tin. For the eggs, beat 3 together and visually set aside the equivalent of half an egg. Check for doneness after 45 minutes.
--You can add or omit any extracts that you like. You can also add grated lemon or orange zest.
-- Should you accidently overbrown the top, then dust lightly with powdered sugar to make it look intentional. |
