There was one thing I could always depend on in my childhood home…
Inside the middle drawer next to the sink was the stuff of dreams: a bonanza of baked goods in Entenmann’s boxes. My Bronx-born Jewish father, who has the sweetest sweet tooth of anyone I know, kept the drawer stocked with a rotation of the company’s signatures: chocolate frosted doughnuts, crumb-topped coffee cake, sour cream loaves, thick-spackled chocolate frosted cupcakes, pound cakes, and chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Entenmann’s is beloved by all, of course, but it has always had a real stronghold in the New York Jewish community, even though Charles Entenmann, the man who made the brand a household name, and who died last week at 92, wasn’t even Jewish. (According to his son, he wasn’t even “a dessert guy.”) No one seems to know exactly why this is, though some point to the company getting kosher certification from the Orthodox Union in the 1980s. Either way, seeing the obituary took me back, so I felt compelled to picked up a few boxes to pay my respects. For those of you who’d prefer the homemade kind of tribute, this super easy pound cake’s for you.
An Entenmann’s Inspired Pound Cake
Sometimes I fold in a cup of blueberries at the end.
1 pat butter for greasing pan (or cooking spray)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup berries (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until blended. Fold in dry ingredients. Once it has come together, fold in berries if using. You do not want to overmix.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.
P.S. Cinnamon-apple muffins and Dorie Greenspan’s “Everything Cake.”