Coffee Cake Friday: Honey Vanilla Pound Cake, Gluten-Free

OK, I admit it.  I have a thing for pound cakes.  I love them.  If you look through my list of recipes, I have several different pound cake recipes–cream cheese, ricotta, brown butter, classic.  I love them all!  And, I have another one for you today.  I think it’s time for a category–pound cakes.  Yum.

Today’s cake is a Honey Vanilla Pound Cake from Ina Garten, aka, The Barefoot Contessa.  As you know, Ina is in my pantheon of cooking goddesses.  I have all of her cookbooks.  Every single one of them is excellent.  Every recipe I make from them turns into a favorite.  I get tons of compliments on them.  If you don’t have any of her cookbooks, run–do not walk–to your bookstore and get one.  They’re all good.

I found the original for today’s recipe in her Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor From Simple Ingredients.  This was another hit at Coffee Hour this morning.  I keep worrying that people will get tired of my pound cake mania, only to find that everyone shares it.  Lots of raves today!  And I love the fact that this is a simple cake to make.  It’s not fussy in the least.  It has a nice firm crumb, a delicate flavor–honey mixed with vanilla mixed with lemon.  Although I just served it plain with our coffee, I can see this serving as a nice match with some strawberries and whipped cream.  Just in time for spring and summer berries!

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake, Gluten-Free
-adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina Garten

Special Equipment Needed
-a stand mixer is nice, but a hand mixer will do
-8 1/2×4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan or 10 C bundt pan

Ingredients
2 cups Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
1 tsp kosher salt (the large-grained salt)
1/2 tsp aluminum-free double-acting baking powder
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 extra large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoon honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp grated lemon zest
extra melted butter and tapioca flour for pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour your pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add sugar, beat another 2 minutes.  Add honey, beat to incorporate.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add vanilla, beat to incorporate.  Add lemon zest, beat to incorporate.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating just until incorporated.  Spoon into your prepared pan.  Thump pan on counter once to release any trapped air bubbles.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes then carefully turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Note:  If you use a different gluten-free flour mix, alter the amount of or eliminate the xanthan gum or use a different gluten-replacer, use dairy-free or egg-free substitutes, or change any other ingredients in this recipe, your results may not match my results.

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