Vanilla Pound Cake

(Sorry for no photo this time around, my camera battery had died and my future-DH decided to dig in before it had charged)

I decided to start with something familiar to me first, with the intention of starting this project on a high note. Let me say, this pound cake seemed pretty easy, but was actually a little harder then you're run of the mill pound cake. It's loaded with vanilla and butter, making it dense and rich in flavor.

I honestly didn't think it was going to be that great, with 1 whole Tablespoon of vanilla in the batter and another on a candied glaze to top with after baking. The mixture of the amount of white sugar (1 and 1/4 cups total) combined with the 2 Tablespoons of vanilla made me feel like this was overload and was sure to be overwhelming.

Boy was I wrong! I let the butter soften, and beat in the sugar, both brown and white, and hoped for the best. I was excited to finally use my loaf pan, for a few years I had this set of Calphalon baking equipment, but the loaf pan seemingly had been orphaned to the bottom corner of the cabinet.

45 minutes passed as I nervously prayed it didn't end up a non-risen hockey puck, my utter fear of baking all loaf shaped items. I nervously peaked in the door and to my surprise, it was gorgeous and as perfect as I thought a pound cake was supposed to be. Golden yellow on top with hints of brown hues - and the smell was out of this world! The sweet aroma of vanilla and sugar filled the house as it cooled.

The glaze the recipe provided was pretty simple through reading it, but the mastering of exactly how thick the glaze was supposed to be has me perplexed. It said to let it boil for 1 minute and then cut it off, add the vanilla, and let it cool a minute or two, but this left me with some very watery glaze. I decided to go for a second round in a shallower pan, letting it boil for a little longer - this left me with more of a soft warm caramel glaze - much better then the original attempt.

Vanilla Pound Cake - You've been checked off my list! You were warm, moist, sweet and delicious. I imagine with a berry and some fresh whip you'd be the perfect pairing to close out the end of a hot summers day.

Oh, Bakers Companion, how I love thee

Photo from Good Housekeeping.

So, here it is in its heavy, royal, red glory. Considered one of the most essential baking books anyone should have, its filled with pages of epicurian delights and battles from pastry to pancakes, crackers to cupcakes. My goal? to complete every recipe in this entire cooking companion. Will it prove my baking defeat, or will i reign King Arthur Flour Champion? We'll see....