Basil Pound Cake
From Southern Herb Growing by Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay, THE must-have book for growing and cooking with herbs.This famous cake is equally delicious with cinnamon or sweet basil, rose geranium, lemon verbena or orange mint. To simplify, chop the herbs and stir them into the batter rather than lining the pan with them.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (340.2 g) butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 cups sugar (600 g), may use vanilla sugar, and if so, decrease amount of vanilla used
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups (384 g) sifted flour
- 6 ounces (180 ml) lemon-lime carbonated soda, such as Sprite or 7-Up (do not use diet version)
- 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons (7.4 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (6.8 g) fresh sweet herbs of choice, such as basil, finely chopped
- Additional rose geranium leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube cake pan, or 2 large loaf pans.
- Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add flour alternately with soda, beating well. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract and chopped fresh herb leaves.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing top. Bake 1¼ hours or until cake tester comes out clean when inserted into middle.
- If necessary to prevent over-browning (ovens vary), place a piece of aluminum foil lightly over the cake toward the end of baking.
- After cake is removed from oven, cool for 10 minutes; invert carefully on serving plate to remove cake from pan.
- Slice and serve with vanilla custard, lemon curd or other sauce. Garnish with fresh rose geranium leaves.
Notes
Note: Cake freezes very well. Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil then place in large plastic freezer bag. Let come to room temperature before serving or warm it in an oven on low heat.
Keep cake tightly wrapped in foil to stay warm. Used with permission from Gwen Barclay, co-author of Southern Herb Growing.