We’ve all read it a thousand times: “Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.” But a lot of cooks don’t take it far enough—it’s as if we’re worried that we might, by some magic, make things too fluffy. In fact, there’s little risk of that; if you’re using a hand mixer, it’s best to stick with it for at least four minutes. As the butter and sugar combine, the sugar’s sharp edges cut through the fat and create air pockets that lighten the texture of baked goods. As you mix, watch the mixture go from grainy to creamy, and then increase in volume and lighten in color. Voila! That’s the sort of fluff quotient you should strive for.
Think you’ve mastered this crucial step? Try your mixing skills out on our:
Pound Cake With Grand Marnier-Poached Apricots Recipe.
Beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy is essential to this pound cake’s moist, tender crumb and the Grand-Marnier Poached Apricots add a boozy yet sweet kick.
Servings: 12 Active: 45 minutes Total: 3 hours
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 cups superfine sugar
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apricots and Assembly:
- ⅔ cup Grand Marnier
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups dried apricots (about 8 oz.)
- 1 1½” piece peeled ginger, sliced
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream (for serving)
Nutritional Information:
Calories (kcal) 630 Fat (g) 35 Saturated Fat (g) 22 Cholesterol (mg) 200 Carbohydrates (g) 72 Dietary Fiber (g) 2 Total Sugars (g) 45 Protein (g) 7 Sodium (mg) 200
Directions:
View Step-by-Step DirectionsSpecial Equipment:
- A 10”-diameter tube pan or angel food cake pan
Cake:
- Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Butter and flour pan. Whisk salt, cream of tartar, cardamom, and 3 cups flour in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 2 cups butter until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until very light and creamy, 6–8 minutes longer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until mostly combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
- Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool completely before turning out.
- DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Apricots and Assembly:
- Bring Grand Marnier, granulated sugar, and ⅔ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add apricots and ginger, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until apricots are very soft, 20–25 minutes. Let cool.
- Remove ginger just before serving. Serve cake with apricots and syrup and whipped cream.
- DO AHEAD: Apricots can be poached 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
Recipe by: Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer
Photograph by: Hirsheimer & Hamilton
Source: bonappetit.com
