Fruit & Nut Pound Cake

I remember the days when we bought frozen Sara Lee. And every time I pulled it out of the freezer, it was rock hard. Even after a few moments in the microwave to warm it up, it was still dry. And a tad too sweet for me. 


So when I started baking, pound cake was one of the first few recipes I attempted. It looked easy enough, but as with all simple things, there is more to it than meets the eye...

My first few attempts were either too dry or too wet. But today, I think I've found a recipe that's worth sticking to. It had just the right amount of moisture, was dense yet not heavy, and with just the right amount of buttery taste without being overwhelming. The photo doesn't really do the cake justice. It's either the lighting, or just simply my lousy camera skills. 

OK, enough yapping. Here's the recipe. 

FRUIT & NUT POUND CAKE

Makes a 9x5" loaf or 2 mini loaves. 

227g butter

200g sugar (up to 250g if you like it sweet)

4 eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

1.5 tsp water

170g cake flour

60g raisins, currants, or cranberries

30g nuts (I used a mixture of pumpkin and sunflower seeds)

With your mixer on medium-high, whip butter till smooth and shiny. 

Gradually add sugar and beat till light and fluffy and almost white.

Stir together eggs, vanilla and water.

With mixer running, add egg mixture in a thin stream, and mix till fully incorporated.

Sift 1/3 of the flour over the batter.

Fold in gently with a spatula. Repeat twice more. 

Finally, fold in fruit and nut till evenly distributed.

Scrape batter into pan. Smooth top.

Bake at 160*C till skewer comes out clean, about 80 min for large loaf pan and 40 min for mini pans. 

When done, allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 min before unmoulding onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 

One thing still baffles me:  Why does the pound cake always split on top?  Has anyone found a way to make pound cake with a nice smooth top?  Please tell me...