63/365: National Pound Cake Day

Don’t let today’s food holiday weigh heavily on your mind. It’s National Pound Cake Day, and despite the name, this cake is light and buttery. Best of all, it can be enjoyed for breakfast or dinner. I love it when we have options.

Pound cake got its name from its original list of ingredients: a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, a pound of butter, and a pound of eggs. (Technically, wouldn’t that make it a Four Pound Cake)? Four pounds worth of ingredients makes a pretty big cake, which is why pound cakes were intended to feed multiple families. They would last a week, and were considered by many to be their “daily bread.” As long as you keep the same ratio of ingredients (1:1:1:1), your cake will turn out just as delicious, no matter the size. Pound Cake originated in the early 1700s in Britain, which begs another question: shouldn’t it be called 1/2-kilogram cake, instead? In 1796, the first cookbook authored by an American and published in the U.S. was released, featuring two recipes for pound cake. In 1881 Abby Fisher, a former slave, published the first cookbook written by an African-American; this also featured a couple of pound cake recipes.

Remember how I linked to Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” video on National Cherry Pie Day? Today, I’m showing off Van Halen’s “Pound Cake,” yet another hard rock song that uses dessert as a metaphor for sex. Is there some rock ‘n roll playbook that stipulates all bands must, at some point, come up with a double entendre-laced ode to dessert? No idea, but I’m looking forward to seeing who comes up with an R-rated celebration of Double Stuff Oreos.

Tara and I indulged in a slice of pound cake – washed down with coffee – for breakfast this morning. It may not have snapped, crackled or popped, but it was still a pretty tasty way to start the day.

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• National Poundcake Day Lemon Raspberry Creme Mini-Trifles (frogprincepaperie.com)
• Best-Ever Pound Cake (warmhotchocolate.com)