This is what I did today…

…I made a raisin buttermilk pound cake for my family.  It’s a very tasty pound cake.  Mom wanted something with raisins, and wasn’t convinced that rolling raisins in flour before adding them to the batter would work. Mom’s experience with raisins and cake is that the raisins sank to the bottom. But, the flour trick did work. 

 Anyway, here is the recipe for raisin buttermilk pound cake, courtesy of 1001 Recipe.com.

Main Ingredients:

All-purpose Flour: 1+1/2 cups, Baking Soda: 1/8 tsp, Salt: 1/4 tsp, Baking Powder: 1/4 tsp (optional), Butter: 1/2 cup, Sugar: 1 to 1+1/2 cups, Eggs: 3 (preferably room temperature), Vanilla Extract: 1/2 tsp (or equivalently, ½ teaspoon vanilla powder), Ground Cardamom: 1/4 tsp (optional), Buttermilk: 1/2 cup, Raisin: 1/2 cup

Directions:1. Grease and flour one 8 or 9 inch tube pan (you may also use a 9×5 inch loaf pan). 2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 3. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder (optional), vanilla powder (if you are using powder instead of extract) together, set aside. 4. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at time and beating well after each addition. 5. Stir in the vanilla extract (if you are using the extract) and ground cardamom (optional). 6. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture (either use whisk or set the beater on low). 7. Toss the raisin with ½ tablespoon flour. Gently mix in raisin mixture. (optional). 8. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 75 minutes. Do not open oven door until after an hour. The cake is ready when it begins to pull away from the side of the pan. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. 

 This cake isn’t as heavy and dense as other pound cakes I have made in the past.  It has a nice, light texture.

FYI: Here are some interesting facts re: the pound cake.