It's not easy being sweet.

This pound cake really doesn't need a fancy back story or long prelude. But I'll do it anyway 'cause it's a darn good pound cake that will please the hardest to please: my daddy. My dad is a great supporter of my baking and is always proud to tell people about my blog, but to be honest, he doesn't really like my baked goods that much. He's a snacker for sure -- he's always nibbling on peanuts and cashews while he watches tv, he's got after eights in the car, and popcorn is a must for movies. But he doesn't like the really sweet stuff like cupcakes and cookies. He's also got some diabetes going on so he really shouldn't be eating that stuff anyway.



So it's usually my dad reminding me how sweet all my baked goods are and that I should really consider making it less sweet. Slightly exasperated, I just tell him that it's how the recipe is, and that they are just supposed to be that way! Plus I'm afraid that it will dramatically change the outcome if I cut down on the sugar too much. So, that's how it is. Period. Unless you find a perfect green tea pound cake recipe, of course!!



My dad's friends were coming over for tea yesterday evening, so I thought I would delight them with a homebaked treat! I wanted use my expensive matcha powder I got a while back so I looked around for a good recipe that uses it. Alas, I found my green tea pound cake recipe from crummb and was definitely convinced at her words "it is moist, tender and – very important to Asian tastebuds – not too sweet." YES!! I found it!



It really is that. It's moist, tender, and not too sweet. It's perfect. The startling green color is beautiful (although I think the crust's brownish color is kind of ugly and sorta reminds me of the HULK). I gave a piece to my grandmother and she went on and on about how she doesn't usually like cake but this was just the most delicious thing she's ever eaten. She told me how she kept coming downstairs for more. And that's saying A LOT for my grandma. My dad also praised the pound cake in front of his friends and how it's so tasty, but "not to sweet". Hahaha!

Anyways, this really is a long intro to the cake, but maybe it'll convince you to try it as well. The recipe is by Nick Malgieri who wrote "the modern baker". It's slightly more complicated than a typical pound cake because you need to separate the eggs and beat the egg whites and fold it in later. But it's really not that hard, and if I did it, you can too. And I love love my second-hand-store mini loaf pans so I used them instead of the standard 9 by 5 pan. Enjoy!

Green Tea Pound Cake

makes one 9x5 loaf or two mini loaves
recipe from Fountain of Life Green Tea Company

ingredients

2 cups bleached all-purpose four
2 tablespoons Matcha green tea
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks soft unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
5 large eggs, separated
Pinch of salt

directions

1. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and line with buttered parchment or wax paper—cut to fit. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 325F. Combine the flour, green tea and baking powder and stir well to mix.
2. Cream butter and confectioners sugar in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment and beat for about 3 minutes or until light. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl and beater occasionally with a rubber spatula. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour mixture by hand, with a rubber spatula.
3. Pour the egg whites and salt into a clean, dry mixer bowl. Place on mixer with whisk attachment and whip whites on medium speed until white and opaque and just beginning to hold their shape. Increase speed slightly and continue whipping egg whites until they hold a soft peak.
4. Remove bowl from mixer and quickly scrape whites from bowl onto batter in other bowl. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter, folding just until no streaks of white remain.
5. Scrape the batter into prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake the cakes for about 45 minutes (35-40 minutes for mini loaf pans) or until it is well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges dry. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then un-mold and cool it completely.

Lucky

I feel lucky that I have a hobby that makes other people happy too. My mom was realllly craving my lemon pound cake and has been asking for it for quite some time. I made it for her, and it made her very happy! What a great feeling! The thing I love to do is not just for me, it's for sharing with those around me. I'm so lucky.







I've made this pound cake before, and the recipe is here. But just to make it a TINY WINY bit different, I added some tangerine juice/zest. It didn't make much of a difference, but it did in my mind! I also used two mini loaf pans instead of one, which is always more fun! Anything miniature is fun. :) I was once again impressed by the recipe, though. The cake is so soft and has a perfect density from the cream cheese. It's phenomenal right out of the oven and delicious the day after too! I love this pound cake, and no wonder my mom craves it time to time. :D

when life gives you lemons...

make lemon pound cake!

sorry.. i know that's totally cliche, but it's so true. what's better than lemonade? a soft, slightly tangy, moist pound cake! and it makes your whole home smell so delicious! well, that's a valuable lesson, isn't it? making the most out of what you have. although.. i think lemons are perfectly fabulous.



i have another lesson learned from this delightful pound cake! mistakes are a "portal to discovery"! the first time i made this recipe (from williams-sonoma.com) i made a mistake by adding THREE too many tablespoons of lemon juice into the pound cake. but it actually turned into a super discovery! i love MY mistake version of this cake. it's up to you if you want to try it! :)

Lemon Pound Cake

serves 8-10
adapted from williams-sonoma.com

ingredients

1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbs. cake flour
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
9 Tbs. unsalted butter
4 oz. cream cheese
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

directions

1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
2. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Line with parchment and grease loaf pan.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. (Please do the full 4-5 minutes because this makes the cake really light and fluffy.) Increase the speed to medium-high and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla and 2 Tbs. of the lemon juice. (Here, I added 5 instead!)
5. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, beating each addition until just incorporated and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the lemon zest.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 70 to 75 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.

making the lemon glaze (I actually omit this glaze because I don't like it too sweet. So instead of the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice here, I put it in the cake)
7.Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the remaining 3 Tbs. lemon juice and the 1⁄4 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the warm cake with the glaze. Let the cake cool completely before serving.