German Butter Pound Cake

Name: German Butter Pound Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 16 servings.
Ingredients: 6 large eggs, separated; 1 cup butter, softened; 2 cups sugar; 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; 6 tablespoons 2% milk; 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Cardamom and lemon peel mix with almond and vanilla flavors to add zip to a classic butter pound cake. — Kristine M. Chayes, Smithtown, New York

Ingredients

6 large eggs, separated
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 tablespoons 2% milk
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Generously grease and flour a 10-in. tube pan.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and extracts. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Fold into batter.
Transfer to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Editor's Note: For easier removal of cake, use solid shortening when greasing a fluted or plain tube pan.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 275 calories, 13g fat (8g saturated fat), 110mg cholesterol, 234mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate (27g sugars, 0 fiber), 4g protein.

Originally published as German Butter Coffeecake in Taste of Home February/March 2013

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Herb

Nov 21, 2018

What an amazing cake. Found the directions easy. I wasn’t sure if I should have placed in a cold oven, so I did and it turned out great. The only substitution made was cream...instead of milk. Delicioso!!
Judithdewald

Sep 16, 2016

I just bake this cake I went to look at it through the window of the oven and it has fallen what does that mean what happened what did I do wrong helpThe batter tasted wonderful I am so disappointed please get back to me as soon as possible
Irascible_Baker

Mar 9, 2016

This is a great recipe. It is very easy to make and the cardamom lends a very unique, lemony sort of flavor. Have made it a couple times for our weekly teatime!
mominthekitchen

Oct 29, 2014

I've made this cake many times since it first appeared in the magazine, and it always turns out perfectly. It taste fantastic, and everyone devours it. I make it just as written and as far as I can recall, I have always used a fairly dark, fluted bundt pan. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
KristineChayes

Sep 12, 2014

I submitted the recipe for German Butter Pound Cake - what we called Gugelhupf - and have been making this cake for decades without any problems, and my mother, Alice, before me, and her friend, Ann, before her. I am sorry to hear that some readers have had trouble with the cake falling. I usually bake it in a Bundt pan, yellow outside with a dark interior. I have also made this cake in an aluminum tube pan, which used to be my mother's; it is so old, it is no longer shiny, so perhaps the dark pan theory mentioned in cthecow's review has merit. Sometimes, uneven oven temperatures can cause fallen cake problems (opening the oven door while baking, or an old heating filament in the oven, etc.). I am at a loss to say what might be causing that problem.
cthecow

Jan 7, 2014

Help?! The first time I made this cake I used my fluted bundt pan and it turned out perfect. I made it exactly as written and did not substitute any ingredients. I did not fold in ? of the egg whites first as one reviewer suggested, but simply folded them all in at once, gently. It was absolutely delicious and became my all-time favorite cake. Today I made it again, and the only thing I did differently was to use my 10-inch tube pan instead of my bundt pan. It fell! I too am no baking beginner and am a loss as to what happened. I followed the recipe just as carefully as I did the first time. Does anybody have any other clues or suggestions? I would love to hear and learn more from Kristine Chayes about her recipe!PS-Since writing this review, I found this comment online on another site: "Shiny metals WILL reduce the temperature of the cake (signficantly) as the radiant heat from the oven is reflected. A cake cooked in a glass or dark tin will cook 20% faster than one in a shiny tin." My tube pan is very shiny, and my bundt pan is very dark. I'm inclined to think the pan was my problem today. Perhaps this tip will help others.PPS-Today (several days later) I made the recipe again, this time using my dark bundt cake pan like I did the first time. It turned out perfect! I'm convinced that the shiny metal pan was the reason it fell the other day. I believe the recipe should be adjusted by its author to state a different baking time and/or temp for a shiny tube pan vs. a dark metal bundt pan.
liwhit

Oct 10, 2013

I have made this cake many times and has never fell on me. First make sure use unsalted cream butter and leave out to room temp. or if cold put in microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to soften. Always leave the egg whites out to room temp. I whip the butter ,sugar till fluffy, add yolks one at a time like the recipe says to. I use 2 tsp. of vanilla paste.instead almond. Make sure you fold 1/3 of egg whites in batter and then the rest, fold gently or your whites will fall and the cake will not rise right. I cook mine on 350 oven at 50 or 55 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and loosen edges of pan.
matteliz

Jul 15, 2013

The lemon and cardamom are great together. This will go on my list of go-to cakes!
mosley33

May 22, 2013

Made cake 3rd x, fell. Added a little baking soda this x. Any suggestions...I bake cakes from scratch regularly and sell them, so I'm no beginner.
mosley33

May 20, 2013

Made cake twice, first x lower rack and cake fell, second x upper rack didn't fall as much. I bake and sell cakes so, appearance counts, I may add a bit of baking soda next time and maybe it will not fall at all.