The Best Pound Cake

Name: The Best Pound Cake
Yield: Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients: 1 cup, unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (8 ounces); 1 1/3 cups, granulated sugar (9 ounces); 3 , large eggs (5.25 ounces, without the shells); 3 , large egg yolks (2 ounces); 1 1/2 teaspoons, vanilla extract; 1 1/2 teaspoons, water; 1/2 teaspoon, table salt; 1 1/2 cups, cake flour (7 ounces)

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated May/June 1994

Desserts or Baked Goods

Cakes

After trying 31 pound cakes, we found that the perfect version varies the "pound-of-each" formula and relies on an unusual mixing method.

SERVES8 - 10

TIME2 hours, plus 2 hours cooling

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For a pound cake recipe that was moist and soft on the one hand but also dense, light, and rich on the other, we discovered a secret: lightly beating the eggs in a bowl and then adding them by the tablespoon to the creamed butter and sugar....

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