Key Lime Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What causes a pound cake to be heavy? ›

Store brands of sugar are often more finely ground than name brands, yielding more sugar per cup, which can cause the cake to fall. Store brands of butter may contain more liquid fat, and flours more hard wheat, making the cake heavy.

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

Those gluey pound cake streaks happen when your over-cream the butter and sugar. The cake rises in the oven and then it quickly collapses a bit while cooling which causes those gummy streaks. To prevent this, use a low speed with creaming and do so just until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

However, unlike other cakes, pound cakes rely on air and eggs to rise. So it's inherently a dense cake with a close crumb. But baking powder can be added to make the cake rise a little more – especially if you're not fully sure that you mixed the ingredients well.

What is overmixing, actually? Overmixing is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which a dough or batter gets mixed too much, typically yielding dense, tough, or deflated baked goods. Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked.

If you overmix cake batter the cake will fall as flat as a pancake once it is removed from the oven. By overmixing you incorporated far too much air into the batter. As the air heated in the oven the cake rose but once it was removed from the oven it did not have the structural integr...

A steady 325-350 degrees is ideal when it comes to baking pound cake. Position the pan in the middle of the oven, and rotate it once, halfway through the baking time, as it bakes to account for any hot spots.

“Cake Mix can usually be used with either water or milk. When using milk, however, you can probably expect better results because it can make the cake become more moist and rich in flavor.

It's important to not overmix the pound cake batter once you've added in the flour. Once the flour has been added gluten bonds will start to form and if you mix the batter too much your cake will end up tough and bready!

There are several possible causes for what is called a sad streak in a pound cake. One is that there wasn't enough stirring in the early stages of preparing the batter. The other is that the cake needs to 'set' the crumb when you first remove it from the oven.

How do you know if cake batter is overmixed? ›

Before it gets to that point, an undermixed cake batter may still have streaks of visible flour and look chunky. If overmixed, the batter may become runny and slack.

Oh yes, you sure can. This recipe has a combination of butter and oil to give off that nice buttery taste while keeping it soft and moist at the same time. Cake using pure butter tends to be more dense and dry compared to adding oil into the batter.

How long do you leave pound cake in the pan? When it's done baking, let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes: no more, no less. It's enough time for the cake to firm up some after baking so that it doesn't fall apart, but not so much time that the cake gets stuck to the pan.

Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter, eggs, and any other dairy ingredients are at room temperature. This helps to achieve a smoother batter and a more even bake. Sifting Dry Ingredients: Sift flour and leavening agents to create a lighter cake.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Another possible reason is if the cake was over-baked. This generally causes a sponge to become dry but this can then lead to it being dense and heavy. If you baked it for the recommended time it may mean that your oven is running hot and that the baking time needs to be shortened slightly next time you make it.

It's a heavy cake (as pound cakes should be!) with a dense, velvety crumb, but there's nothing dry or crumbly about it. While this cake can hold it's own, it's even better when served with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit.

If your cake is too dense or too heavy, you may need more leavening or liquid, or you may have used too much sugar or shortening. If your cake crust is too light, you may need more sugar. If your cake doesn't have good flavor, your formula may be unbalanced, or you may need to check the quality of your ingredients.

Using too much liquid or fat in the recipe can also weigh down the cake, making it dense and sticky. Insufficient leavening agents, such as baking powder or baking soda, can prevent proper rising and result in a gluey texture.