Elvis Presley’s Favourite Pound Cake

As this Blog celebrates its 4th Blogiversary I am too happy and excited to stop myself from cooking something special!Obviously it had to be something baked and I decided on a delicious cake as part of the celebrations.

Elvis Presley was a great singer and artiste in the USA in the starting of the 1950’s till the 1970’s,in fact precisely till his death in 1977.I was born a few years after his death but loved his music as his records were played at home.It took me a good 12 years to know that the legend was no more and had become a permanent star even before I opened my eyes to the world and that gave me a kind of secret sorrow – which oscillated between my thinking he was alive to the factual reality of his painful death.

Elvis Aaron Presley (1935 – 1977)

IMAGE COURTESY – GOOGLE

Later I came to know that during the 1970’s he had made his favourite snacks and meals public to his fans,this cake being one of them.Nigella Lawson has penned down the recipe for his Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich in one of her cookbooks and that is also one delicious creation.Evidently the King (as he was fondly called) loved food and revelled in certain recipes which made him temporarily happy from the life of misery and depression which he was living at the time of his passing.

A true pound cake does not contain Baking Powder as the ingredients measured akin to a pound make the cake beautifully moist,soft and uber delicious!

Elvis Presley’s favourite Pound Cake

Recipe taken from Epicurious with a little modifications of my own!

Preparation Time : 1 hour

Makes : 16 – 18 slices

INGREDIENTS

3 cups sifted plain flour (maida)

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup refined oil/butter

7 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla essence/vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

PAN REQUIRED – Use an angel cake pan,tube ring pan or a Bundt pan for best results

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Prepare the angel cake pan/bundt pan/tube pan by greasing with butter/oil and sprinkling with 2 tbsp flour.Alternatively use a baking spray.

Sift flour and salt twice in a bowl.

Mix oil/butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and start beating with an electric beater till the sugar gets mixed with the oil/butter.Now add eggs one at a time,beating well after each addition.After adding all the 7 eggs,continue beating for 3 – 4 minutes more.Add vanilla and mix well.

Add in 1 cup flour and beat for a minute,then add 1/2 cup milk.Beat again and add 1 cup flour.Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and the remaining flour and beat till the mixture is thick but can also flow freely.It should be like a thick batter.Pour into the prepared pan and thump on a table or the kitchen countertop to remove any air bubbles inside.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour till the top develops a crispy golden brown crust and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

The cake after baking…I used an Angel Cake Pan

Cool for 45 minutes in the pan.Loosen sides with a bread knife and invert onto a plate.Cut into slices.Serve with tea or coffee to enjoy the King’s Legacy!

After slicing the cake…

Texture of a slice…