Name: Sugar-crusted vanilla pound cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 250 gm softened butter; 125 gm each caster sugar and panela sugar (see note); Finely grated rind of 1 mandarin and 1 lemon (juices reserved for sugar crust); Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean; 4 eggs, at room temperature; 250 gm (1 2/3 cup) plain flour, sieved; 2 tsp baking powder; Sugar crust; Juice of 1 mandarin and 1 lemon; 60 gm panela sugar; 40 gm caster sugar; Crushed strawberry cream; 80 gm strawberries, coarsely chopped; 2 tsp panela sugar; 400 gm crème fraîche

Sugar-crusted vanilla pound cake

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for sugar-crusted vanilla pound cake.

Serves 8

Prep

30M

Cook

Total

1H 30M

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Pound cake is so called because traditionally it was made with a pound of each of butter, sugar, flour and eggs. This version uses panela sugar in place of some of the more traditional white sugar, adding a caramel flavour and a crunchy sugar crust. It’s best eaten on the day it’s made.

Ingredients

250 gm softened butter

125 gm each caster sugar and panela sugar (see note)

Finely grated rind of 1 mandarin and 1 lemon (juices reserved for sugar crust)

Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

4 eggs, at room temperature

250 gm (1 2/3 cup) plain flour, sieved

2 tsp baking powder

Sugar crust

Juice of 1 mandarin and 1 lemon

60 gm panela sugar

40 gm caster sugar

Crushed strawberry cream

80 gm strawberries, coarsely chopped

2 tsp panela sugar

400 gm crème fraîche

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 170C. Beat butter, sugars, rinds and vanilla in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (5-6 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in flour and baking powder. Spoon into an 8.5cm x 22cm loaf tin buttered and lined with baking paper, smooth top. Bake until golden and cooked through (45 minutes-1 hour), cool in tin for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack.

2.For sugar crust, combine juices and sugars in a bowl and stir until dissolved, then spoon over warm cake. Stand until cooled to room temperature.

3.For crushed strawberry cream, combine strawberries and sugar in a bowl, coarsely crush strawberries and stand until juices leach from strawberries (4-5 minutes). Whisk crème fraîche in a separate bowl until thick and smooth, fold in strawberry mixture and serve with sugar-crusted vanilla pound cake.

Note Panela sugar is produced mainly in Colombia, where it’s usually sold in block form; in Australia, it’s more often seen as a granulated product.
Drink Suggestion: A pot of good old English breakfast tea. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes

Styling by Emma Knowles

Styling by Vanessa Austin

Ingredients

Method

Main

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