The Pound Cake Inspired by The Last Days of Dogtown

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant was something different, but something good different. I picked up this book up at a used book store for a dollar. Not because I knew the author or anything, but because I thought the name sounded interesting. It got put on a shelf in Seattle, then was placed into a box and shipped to Germany, and then finally read 6 months later.

At first, I didn't think much of it. The book started off pretty dark and I was not sure if I was going to enjoy it or not, but by the time I was half way through it I could not put it down.

It takes place in the 1800's in a small town in America named Dogtown (that was not the real name, but the book covers that) and takes you through the lives of the people who lived in this small town.

As I read each chapter, I started getting more and more invested into each characters. Two in particular, Cornelius and Judy. I kept reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen to these people who lived in a world where being known by everyone is not important.

And by the time I finished the book, I realized the book had me thinking about what I was going to be leaving being in this world after I die. Is it really important for me to leave something behind? For my name to be known?

I think that is definitely something all of us think about these days, especially in a world where we spend part of our lives online and sharing our lives with people we don't even know.

I mean, I am doing that right this very moment as you read this.

What do you think? Do you think we, as humans now, are obsessed with leaving behind something after we die? Do you think we fear being forgotten? Or do we just want to feel like we will keep living on with other people and through their stories about us?

Send me an email or write in the comments below what you think because I would really like to know.

But, let's get to the baking part because I know I am excited about this.

So, as you can imagine, this book was not crawling with recipes related to baking, but the time period really resonated with me and so did raspberries (if you read the book, which I think you should, you'll understand).

That is why I decided to make a Pound Cake with fresh raspberries as a topper.

In the 1800's there were not these 6 layer cakes with chocolate ganach being made in these small towns (at least I believe so) where it was hard to pay for the food to feed your own family.

Instead, a cake recipe was brought to the US and it was called the Pound Cake. It was named this because it had a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a pound of flour.

It was made by women and shared with friends, family, or their local church. It was easy and could be made by anyone who had the means.

However, I did not add a pound of butter, sugar and, flour. Instead, I decided to make a recipe that was more currant and used Baking Soda. Do not judge me, I just wanted to be able to bake a cake and enjoy it too.

Below, you will find the recipe and instructions for this cake if you would like to try it too.

I do admit, it was actually very tasty and super easy to make. Maybe you should make it for your friends and family in your small town.

If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to help. Or, if you want to correct me on my facts, that would be wonderful too. Just send me and email or leave me a comment and I will get back to you quickly.

The Pound Cake Inspired by The Last Days of Dogtown

Ingredients:

250 grams unsalted butter - room temperature

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Prep:

Butter a angel food cake pan or another large cake pan (I prefer round because it is pretty) and set aside.

Do not preheat the oven.

Instructions:

- Step 1 - Fluff the Butter

In a large bowl, whisk 250 grams of butter until fluffy - about 3-5 minutes.

I forgot to take a picture during this step, I do apologize...

- Step 2 - Add in the Sugar

Add the 1 3/4 cup sugar to the fluffy butter and mix until well combined - about 3 minutes.

- Step 3 - Add in the Eggs

Collect all 6 eggs, but do not mix all together, instead we will be adding one egg at a time.

Make sure to mix well after each addition.

Egg 1:

Egg 2:

Egg 3:

Egg 4:

Egg 5:

Egg 6:

- Step 4 - Make Wet Mixture and Make Dry Mixture

In a small bowl, mix together the 1 cup of milk and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together 3 cups of cake flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda - set aside.

- Step 5 - Mix Everything Together

Alternate mixing the flour mixture (1/3 at a time) and milk mixture (1/2 at a time) into the butter, sugar, and egg mixture.

During this process, do not over beat the batter, mix until just incorporated.

Starting with Flour (1/3):

Milk (1/2):

Flour (1/3):

Add Remaining Milk:

Add Remaining Flour:

Make sure to scrape down the sides with a spatula and make sure all the flour has been incorporated.

- Step 6 - Fill The Baking Dish

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish and place in a cold oven.

Turn the oven onto 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

- Step 7 - Cool, Top, and then Enjoy

Let the cake cool completely before you try to remove it from the pan or you'll break your cake like I did mine...

Turn the cake out onto a cooking rack to confirm it is completely cooled, then serve.

You can eat this cake as is or you can add fresh berries, jam, whip cream, frosting, pretty much anything your heart desires.

And Enjoy!