Our friend Michael of The Bridgehampton Florist, comes from a family of home bakers whose cakes are consistently the best things we’ve ever tasted. We’ve featured the most famous, “Beatty’s Chocolate Cake” http://chewingthefat.us.com/2010/07/beattys-chocolate-cake.htmlwhich made its print debut in Ina Garten’s “Back to Basics” a couple of years ago. Andrew had baked any number of recipes and they’ve all been good. But at an Event last summer, Andrew tasted Michael’s Mother Lorraine’s version for the first time and he had to have the recipe for what is The Perfect Pound Cake. And let’s face it, a great pound cake is the starting point for all kinds of wonderful desserts. Topped with fruit, it’s the sweet contrast underneath. Add a little ice cream and you have the warmth of the cake, the cool creamy richness of the ice cream and the tart tang of the fruit all together in a spoonful of heaven. You can do so many things with pound cakes, that I counted 50 variations on epicurious.com alone! So it stands to reason, that once you’ve learned the secrets to the perfect pound cake, you open up a whole dessert repertoire.
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| The Real Sara Lee |
Although Andrew is the baker par excellence in our household, pound cake and I go way back. Some years ago, I created an ad campaign for Sara Lee called “From the Kitchens of the Real Sara Lee”. There was such a person. Sara Lee’s father named his bakery after his 8-year-old daughter. By the time I met her, she was a very distinguished philanthropist who continued as a paid PR spokesperson for the company long after her family had sold it. She would be trotted out at Sales Meetings and Consumer Events. She seemed to relish her role and the Armani wardrobe that came along with it. You may recall the line “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee” but I can tell you one person who didn’t. Sara Lee hated the products, which had been de-fattened and cost cut to the point of unrecognizability from her father’s original recipes. And she told everyone within hearing distance. There’s a famous expression in the Ad business: “Shut Up and Shoot”, which is what she did, and what we did.
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| I’m not quite sure how we got the mint on the plate in 15 seconds but we did! |
For the pound cake, we devised a very simple recipe. It had to be. The commercials lasted just 15 seconds start to finish. In the pound cake version, I seem to remember that we sliced the cake into two layers, put strawberries and Ready-Whip between them and voila, dessert in under 15 seconds. The only other memory I have of that particular exercise was the suggestion to use dental floss to do the cutting of the layers. Don’t ask me why. At any rate, the client tired of the wardrobe allowance and the astronomical travel expenses incurred by Ms. Lee who hit every 4 star restaurant everywhere she went. She loved her celebrity status and would insist on being introduced to the Chef everywhere we ate. I remember a very puzzled Nobuyuki Matsuhisa who clearly had not a clue who she was when she had him dragged over to our table. But at least I got to meet the great Nobu. But I digress.
Cream the butter and butter-flavored Crisco in the bowl of a standing mixer.
Add 1/3 cup of milk then 1 cup of flour, another 1/3 cup of milk, the vanilla, another 1 cup of flour, the last 1/3 cup of milk and the final cup of flour, the salt and the baking powder.
Put the batter into a Bundt pan or two loaf pans which have been sprayed with Baker’s Joy.
In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients; drizzle over cake. 
This looks so delicious and comfy!
It is all of that and more! Get out the Bundt pan!
Can't wait to try this!!! I've been in the "baking mode" lately. Still fondly remembering Bill's Carrot cake.
It's been snowing here and lots of comfort food on the menu these days. I tried your Baked Penne with Sausage, Mozzarella and Tomatoes from the Galley of Gillian Duffy. I used regular mozzarella, canned tomatoes and cream (oops!) instead of milk in the bechamel (cuz that's what I had in the house). Oh my, my, my was it EVER SPLENDID. It was supposed to serve 6 and the two of us ate most of it (a little leftover for lunch the next day). Eeeek! Diet, diet, dammit! LOL
Thanks, Monte.
Glad to hear you survived Sandy (and the election — whew!). I hope the latest storm does not wreck any (more) havoc.
Hi Kate! It's always so good to hear from you! I think you will love this cake. If you are a lemon lover, you will love the lemon version. But if not, I think you'll love the cake all by itself. And by the way, if you love chocolate cake do try Beatty's Chocolate Cake mentioned in the article. Glad you liked the penne. I seriously have tried so many recipes that disappointed. This was the first one that I felt was really up to or above par. And you have to love the yacht part of the story. We seem to have weathered Sandy 2 a whole lot better than Sandy 1 but since I never lost power and many of my friends are still without…I may be talking out of school. All best, Monte
Shame shame shame on me! I did look at the Blog, and thought that if you were doing a pound cake,it would be exactly as you mentioned or not far from, a traditional 1+1+1+1 cake. But stout gal that I am, I came back as saw that you tweeked it for the better! At least, the better for my slacks.. C: Thank you Monte, happy camper here!
Hi Ana! This is really a delicious version of this wonderful cake. I am not sure it is entirely dietetic but a little splurge never hurt, did it! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. And all best to you, my friend. MM