Ah, pound cake. A staple at picnics and family gatherings, this cake is as tasty as it is simple. Every seasoned baker has a pound cake recipe etched into their memory, as this dessert only requires the most basic of ingredients: flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and salt. Sure, there have been some variants over time, but the standard recipe for pound cake has not changed since it was created in 1747!
Tastiness aside, how did this classic cake earn its name? Did it cost a pound to make back in 1747? Did the final baked treat weigh a full pound? Nope, the name’s true origin is a bit more simple and calorie-packed.
According to the first known recipe for the pound cake in Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy , the cake required exactly one pound of the aforementioned ingredients: one pound of flour, one pound of eggs, one pound of sugar, and one pound of butter and salt.
If you think about the context of the 18th century, though, the recipe made total sense. Unless you were a member of the aristocracy, there was a strong chance that you could not read or write.
A recipe requiring exactly one pound of each ingredient made for one that’s easy to remember and bake at the drop of a hat. It also meant that you could easily halve the recipe if you didn’t feel like baking a massive cake for just your immediate family.
The 1:1:1:1 recipe portions were extremely popular in Britain, the pound cake’s country of origin, and soon that popularity would quickly make its way to the colonies.
American Cooking by Amelia Simmons was the first cookbook published by an American, and it contained a recipe for the baked British export.
While it’s not the most eye-popping of desserts, the pound cake remains a classic dessert in the United States.
While you no longer need an actual pound of each ingredient to make the proper sweet, its unique etymology proves that it has withstood the test of time.
Looking for more cake content? Check out our episode of Up Close & Peculiar with a Slice of Royal Wedding Cake !
