Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

From: Barefoot Contessa in Home Beautiful magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter at cool room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 325. Grease and flour a loaf pan (I used an 8x4x2). Line the bottom with parchment paper (I didn't do this.) Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light (I did this by hand). Meanwhile, put the eggs, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest in a glass measuring cup. With the mixer (hand) on medium-low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time, scraping down the bowl and allowing each egg to become incorporated before adding the next egg.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer (hand) on low speed, add it very slowly to the butter and egg mixture until just combined.

Finish mixing the batter with a rubber (wooden) spatula and pour it into the prepared pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes, turn out on a baking rack, and cool completely.

I made this just because I was in the mood to bake, not because I wanted pound cake. So mine is going in the freezer. Best way to freeze pound cake - wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap it again in aluminum foil. Mark the date on it and serve it within six months. Serve at room temperature.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Okay, besides everything in purple, you mean? First of all, I didn't have cake flour. And I wasn't about to buy any. So how do you substitute cake flour in a recipe? One of two ways. Supposedly, you can use all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp per cup of flour which will equal 1 cup cake flour. In other words, if you need 2 cups of cake flour, you measure out 2 cups of all-purpose and remove 4 Tbsp. That's not what I did though. I put 2 Tbsp of cornstarch in a 1 cup measuring cup and filled it the rest of the way. Then I put one Tbsp of cornstarch in a 1 cup measuring cup and filled it about 3/4 of the way. Voila - my 1 3/4 cups of cake flour!!

Also, I didn't have any lemon zest on hand (oddly....). I substituted 2 Tbsp lemon juice instead.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above, probably.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! This was so thick and reaaaaally good. I ate one piece to test it and then popped it in the freezer. Great for a quick nibble or when you forgot you have snack duty at Bible study!!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter at cool room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 325. Grease and flour a loaf pan (I used an 8x4x2). Line the bottom with parchment paper (I didn't do this.) Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light (I did this by hand). Meanwhile, put the eggs, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest in a glass measuring cup. With the mixer (hand) on medium-low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time, scraping down the bowl and allowing each egg to become incorporated before adding the next egg. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer (hand) on low speed, add it very slowly to the butter and egg mixture until just combined. Finish mixing the batter with a rubber (wooden) spatula and pour it into the prepared pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, turn out on a baking rack, and cool completely.