Auto Showcase: April 2010

Since I have been on a quest for the best pound cake I have made dozens or recipes and decided to research the origin. Interestingly enough they date back to the 1700's and got the name quite simply. The name (Pound Cake) comes from the fact that the original pound cakes contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. No leaveners were used other than the air whipped into the batter. In the days when many people couldn't read, this simple convention made it simple to remember recipes. This was not my favorite by a long shot. I simply wanted to try it since it was a centuries old recipe. I had flashbacks to the store bought pound cakes from my youth that you almost choked on because they were so dry. This was not the case but I would definately eat this one slowly with a cup of coffee just in case.

This is my first German Chocolate cake. It took 2 tries but success at last. A German Chocolate Cake from scratch. The recipe's comment section had 2 bad reviews from professional chefs who had some of the same problems I did, therefore I don't feel so bad about the trouble I had with it. This was the most difficult cake I have ever made. The first one burned on top, fell, and was soup in the middle. I started at 6 o'clock and wound up at 10 having to start over and make it again. After the 45 minute bake time it was still far from done. I didn't want a repeat of the previous one with a burned top so I turned the oven down to 275 and gave it 2 hours. I took it out and went to bed at 1 am leaving it to cool deciding that whatever happens happens. After all if I had to I would just go buy one at the store for the birthday party as a last resort. I got up and started on it again at 7 am and finished at 8. I'm very pleased with the final result as it is very moist and delicious. It is a 4 layer with lots of creamy coconut and pecans throughout. I hope Chris and the birthday boy like it. My toughest critic.