Okay, I know I said recipes start in August, but I just can't help myself. I can't very well continue posting on this so-called recipe blog without doing some actual cooking. As a rookie recipe blogger, I could use some offseason reps and training anyway. We'll call it a Culinary Mini Camp. Let's get the ball rolling...
Center Maurkice Pouncey was the Steelers' first round pick of the 2010 draft and the team's Rookie of the Year that season. Pouncey started all 14 regular season games followed by two playoff games - the AFC Divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens and the AFC Championship game against the New York Jets. I was lucky enough to go to the Championship game. It looked like this:
Pouncey sustained a high ankle sprain late in the first quarter and would not return or join the rest of the team in Super Bowl XLV (loss to Green Bay - I don't really wanna talk about it). He's a three-time Pro Bowler, has a winning smile and he loves pound cake.
I made up the last part, but the rest is true.
I've never made pound cake before, but I've fumbled through recipes more daunting than this and yielded winning results. To prepare for the challenge, I had to do a little research. It seems like the worst possible outcome would be a dense, dry, crumbly mound of disappointment. After perusing a variety pound cake recipes, I found this awesome guide to perfect pound cake, courtesy of seriouseats.com. There are a few keys to the game.
- Proportions! 1 part butter: 1 part sugar: 1 part eggs: 1 part (CAKE) flour.
- Some "duhs" for novice bakers like me: soften the butter, let the eggs come to room temperature before adding them, and seriously, buy cake flour rather than the all-purpose stuff. It will contribute to a lighter, fluffier cake. My grocery store carries Swans Down cake flour. When yinz are making the shopping list, just think Swan, like Lynn Swann - as in "I gotta go dahn ta Giant Iggle and git some Lynn Swann cake flahhr."
- We're going to be adding a lot of eggs (6), so be sure to add them one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.
- Resist the urge to release your inner-James Harrison (he will always be a Steeler in my heart and on my wall... except when we play Cincinnati weeks 2 and 15) and DON'T beat the living crap out of the batter. Mix gently on low-speed. Your batter should look like this before it goes in the oven:
I'm opting for a key lime twist on the traditional pound cake. Oh, did I mention Pouncey attended the University of Florida where he played right guard and center for the Gators? Yes, I know Gainesville is nowhere near the Florida Keys, but let me have this one.
The addition of key lime juice and buttermilk will mess with the proportions a bit, so I'm bumping up the flour a little too. This one's for you, Maurkice!
The addition of key lime juice and buttermilk will mess with the proportions a bit, so I'm bumping up the flour a little too. This one's for you, Maurkice!
Maurkice Lime Pound Cake
A Stiller Nation Snacks N'at original
For the cake:
12 oz butter (3 sticks), softened, plus more for the pan
12 oz sugar (1.5 cups)
16 oz cake flour (2 cups), sifted
6 large eggs, brought to room temperature
6 large eggs, brought to room temperature
1/3 cup key lime juice
3/4 cup buttermilk
Key Lime glaze:
2 cups confectioner sugar
4 tbsp key lime juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heavily grease your bundt pan with butter.
Combine key lime juice and buttermilk in a bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together with mixer until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing each egg before adding the next. Once all of the eggs have been added, you can beat the mixture on high-speed until it's smooth. Switch to low-speed and add the cake flour, alternating with the key lime-buttermilk mixture. Continue to beat on low-speed until the flour is fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into your bundt pan and bake for 1 hour. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Let the cake cool 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan. Gently flip your pan onto a cooling rack and let your cake continue to cool while you prepare the glaze.
Whisk together confectioner sugar and key lime juice until it reaches the desired consistency (smooth and pourable). Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with a little lime zest and serve.
MMM-HA!
MMM-HA!
