This is a delicious vanilla pound cake with a swirl of cinnamon and a brown sugar and cinnamon topping. This is great for the holidays. It will fill your house with the smell of cinnamon. If you make this loaf, post it for the rest of us to see.
Ingredients
Loaf:
• 113 g salted butter at room temperature
• 190 g white sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 10 ml vanilla or vanilla bean paste
• 180 g all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 75 ml full-fat sour cream at room temperature
Cinnamon Swirl:
• 45 g brown sugar
• 15 g cinnamon
• 15 ml milk
Topping:
• 30 g brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
• Preheat oven to 325F (not fan assisted) and grease an 8 x 4-inch or 4 x 10-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add 1/2 of the dry mixture to the butter mixture, then the sour cream, then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
• Remove 1 cup of the batter to a medium bowl. Add the cinnamon swirl ingredients to it – the brown sugar, cinnamon and milk and stir to combine.
• Spoon a thin layer of the plain batter into the bottom of your prepared loaf pan. Using a spoon, drop alternating spoonfuls of the plain and the cinnamon batter into the pan. Top with the remaining plain batter and smooth the top. Using a long skewer or knife, run through the batter in the pan a few times (either lengthwise or from side to side). Just about 3 lengthwise or 4-5 side to side should do it).
• Make topping by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the loaf.
• Bake loaf in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. (4×10 pan will cook more quickly, 55-60 minutes, while an 8×4 will take a bit longer, closer to 65 or a few minutes more).
• Allow loaf to cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside and remove to a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
When it comes to pound cake baking, starting with room temperature butter, eggs and sour cream is important, for best results. Simply remove them all from the fridge for 45-60 minutes before you start baking.
Measuring the flour is another area that can make or break your pound cake. Stir your flour first, the scoop or spoon it into your dry measuring cups, then level off with the back of a knife. The “scoop and level” method of measuring flour. It can make a huge difference in the finished result of your baking!
Finally, I do recommend full-fat sour cream for best results. The fat in the sour cream contributes to the moistness of the finished loaf, so lesser fat versions will not perform as well. And while you could use greek yogurt in place of sour cream, it tops out at about 5% fat, while full fat sour cream is about 14%, so again, it will have some effect on the moistness of the loaf.
Enjoy.
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 68mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1.2mg