Créme Fraîche Poundcake
A few weeks ago, this recipe for Melissa Clark’s Créme Fraîche Poundcake was featured in the Food section of the NY TImes and of course, I raced to clip it out. Even though, I’ve got poundcakes galore on the site, like this Bishop’s Cake (aka the best poundcake), this Graham Cracker version, this Lemon Pound Cake (which I didn’t post on its own but is part of a summer berry trifle recipe), Olive Oil Bundt Cake, Melt In Your Mouth Cake, Lemony Buttermilk Bundt Cake, and Lemon-Vanilla Bundt Cake to say nothing of enhanced kinds like Cranberry Almond Pound Cake, Chocolate Pound Cake and even a Blueberry Cream Cheese version. So the question begs, do I really need another poundcake recipe in my life?!! After one bite of this luscious and and velvety smooth créme fraîche version, the answer is a resounding YES, YES, YES!!!! And so do you…
As you’ve probably gathered by now, I am a simple cake lover, especially the kind that you make for no reason at all, just ‘cause you can—you know, the kind of cake you leave out on the counter and cut a sliver (ahem) from each time you walk through the kitchen. This Créme Fraîche Poundcake is exactly that kind and so much more too, because though it works as just a “whenever” cake, you could also serve this at the end of an elegant dinner, much to the delight of your guests. Get ready for the oohs and aahs and recipe requests.
Part of what makes this cake so appealing is the créme fraîche (duh) for which I shared a DIY version of yesterday (although you can certainly buy it too). You add it to both the cake batter and the glaze. It gives the cake a lovely creamy, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture and a little tang that keeps it from being too sweet.
Now, let’s get to the bake, which isn’t difficult but there are a few steps. You start by whipping up a simple, créme fraîche-enhanced batter,
And baking the little loaf till it’s golden brown.
Then, while it’s still hot, you use a knife to poke holes all over the cake—
And pour an easy-to-make sugar syrup all over it which keeps the cake moist throughout.
Once the cake has finished cooling, you pour a créme fraîche-y glaze all over the top, letting it drip dramatically down the sides. Fun!
Once it sets, it gives the top and sides of the cake a deliciously crackly, almost glazed doughnut-like exterior--
Which contrasts perfectly with the lusciously smooth crumb of the poundcake itself.
So simple and yet, so addictive!
If you have any free time this weekend, I really think you should devote a little of it to baking this wonderful loaf. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! So pick up or make some créme fraîche and have a wonderful, safe and poundcake-filled weekend!xoxo
Créme Fraîche Poundcake
Makes one 9x5-inch loaf
Prep Time: 1 ½ hours, plus more for cooling
Ingredients
For the cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus a little more for greasing the pan
1 ¼ cup sugar, plus a little more for the pan
1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup créme fraîche, store bought or this homemade version, room temperature (you could also sub in sour cream in a pinch)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the syrup and glaze
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons créme fraîche
The Recipe
1. To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Generously butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan, including the rim. Sprinkle a little sugar into the pan, tilting it over the sink to coat the bottom and sides evenly and shake out the excess. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beating well between each addition.
4. On low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture. Then beat in the créme fraîche. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the remaining flour mixture and then beat in the vanilla.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the cake is browned and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out completely clean (I baked for about 70 minutes—all ovens differ.) Transfer cake to a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile make the syrup.
6. To make the syrup: whisk together 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water in a small bowl until smooth and quite thin—if it seems too thick to pour, add a bit more water.
7. Use a long thin paring knife to pierce the cake through, about 20 times, all over the top, poking all the way through to the bottom. Spoon about 4 tablespoons of the syrup evenly all over the warm cake. Reserve the rest of the syrup.
8. Once the cake has cooled in the pan for 1 hour, use a butter knife to loosen it around the sides and unmold the cake directly onto the cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Set the rack inside a rimmed baking sheet or place a piece of foil or parchment paper under the rack (this is to catch the drips later when you glaze it)
9. To make the glaze: Whisk the 2 tablespoons of créme fraîche and the remaining ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar into the reserved syrup until a nice thick glaze forms. If you need to, you can add a little more sugar or water to get the right consistency (it should be like heavy cream).
10. Pour some of glaze all over the top of the cake, letting it slide down the sides any which way. I felt like using all of it seemed like too much, so use your discretion. Let the glaze sit for at least 15 minutes (more if you want neater slices) and then slice and serve.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from The New York Times via Melissa Clark. I baked this longer than the recipe said but that’s probably only my lame oven and I used less glaze—it just felt like overkill, but otherwise I stayed pretty true to this. It’s really delish.