Cooking Lesson #214: Almond-Greek Yogurt Pound Cake

… from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Do you have a sweet tooth? If you’re craving something sweet, look no further than my pound cake recipe. It’s light, delicious and a welcome treat any time of year. And if you’re not a fan of almond there are other delicious flavors to choose from like Butter, Vanilla, Strawberry, Lemon Yogurt and Key Lime pound cake—let your imagine run wild.
 
Pound cakes used to be heavy. During the covered wagon years, you didn’t need a written recipe. It was quite simple… 1 pound of flour, 1 pound of sugar, 1 pound of butter and 1 pound of eggs. Hence the name, pound cake. With no leaveners or flavors, they needed to be accompanied by sauce or fresh fruit.
 
Pound cakes aren’t all that fancy, but you can dress them up a little. Try using simple fruit syrups. When the cake comes out of the oven drizzle it with a with a warm simple syrup. It will keep the cake moist and flavorful. You can never go wrong with a side of fresh fruit or mixed berries. You can also add some dessert sauces like caramel, dulce de leche, hot fudge sauce or pecan praline… all good choices. You can keep it very simple with a light dusting of powdered sugar, and of course a dollop of homemade whipped cream or a dollop of sweetened sour cream schlag.
 
Ingredients:
Food spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Greek yogurt
Powdered sugar, for topping
 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325⁰F. Spray a 10-inch fluted Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with 1 tablespoon of flour. Shake out any excess.
2. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Place in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter for 3-4 minutes or until it pales and is light and fluffy.
4. Add the sugar and continue to beat for 1 minute longer.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, until yolk just disappears.
6. Add Greek yogurt and extracts, mixing until just combined.
7. In small increments, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just mixed. Do not over mix.
8. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.
9. Tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
10. Place in the center of your oven and bake for 60-70 minutes. Insert a cake tester or a toothpick at 60 minutes; the cake is done when the tester comes out clean.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.
12. Invert the cake on a plate, tap the outside a few times with a wooden spoon, to release and then flip it over.
13. Allow cake to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

ChefSecret: Now that you have the basics down, you can experiment with these other flavors. You can also substitute the Greek yogurt with sour cream.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “At the grocery store last weekend there was this big “X” by the register for me stand on… I’ve seen too many Road Runner cartoons to fall for that one.”
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