Bake like a Brit: The timeless charm of pound cake

According to the original recipe, you should add a pound of each ingredient to the cake batter. However, when you convert this to grams, the cake would be enormous. To prepare it, you would need two sticks of butter and as many as eight eggs, because one pound is exactly 0.453 kg. So, you can easily reduce the amount of ingredients by half. With this recipe, maintaining the correct proportions is not difficult.

J.K. Rowling mentions the traditional British loaf cake in the seventh part of "Harry Potter." The cake appears in a passage about an interview with Rita Skeeter, which Harry reads in the newspaper.

The true history of the pound cake recipe dates back to the early 18th century, and during those times no leavening agents were added to the cake. It wasn't until the 19th century that people started enriching the recipe with baking powder and other additives to improve the cake's texture. The traditional bake is somewhat heavy, but the British don't mind. They love to serve the cake, just like scones, with thick sweet cream, butter, honey, or homemade preserves.

Depending on the region, you can find different variations of the British loaf cake, for example, with fruits, almonds, or candied citrus peel. Across the ocean, the cake made with sour cream is very popular, resulting in a much more delicate and creamy taste.

I reduced the original proportions by half.

Ingredients:

              
• 7 oz all-purpose flour
• 7 oz sugar
• 4 eggs
• 7 oz softened butter

Instructions:

1. Place the softened butter in a bowl. Use a mixer to cream it with the sugar until fluffy.
2. Gradually add one egg at a time.
3. Finally, mix in the sifted flour.
4. Pour the batter into a buttered pan and place it in the oven, preheated to 350°f, for 40 minutes.
5. Use a wooden skewer to check if the cake is baked through. Remove and leave to cool.