Victorian Pound Cake

Baking partners challenge for this month is Pound Cake. This cake is known as quatre quarts or four quarters in France meaning four equal portions. The traditional recipes calls for a pound of flour, sugar, butter and eggs and hence the name pound cake. The most important step in making this cake is the creaming and softening of butter and sugar which results in light even textured crumb. Pound cake are rich butter cake and you can add any flavor of your choice. Victorian pound cake uses rose water as flavoring. I found this in Sherry Yards- The Secret of Baking .Thanks Swathi for suggesting this months pound cake challenge.

Ingredients
Eggs- 4
Cake flour- 1 3/4 cup
Butter- 1/2 pound
Sugar- 1 cup+ 2 tbs
Rose water- 2 tsp
Lemon zest- 1/2 tsp
salt- 1/3 tsp

Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature. Sift flour and salt 2-3 times and keep aside.
Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with butter. Line bottom with a strip of parchment paper and keep aside.
Using a hand mixer or a standing electric mixer cream butter till it is soft and creamy for about a minute. Add sugar one tbs at a time and continue mixing for three to four minutes. Once all the sugar is incorporated, scrap down the sides with a rubber spatula and cream the butter and sugar for another 5 minutes till it is fluffy,light and creamy white.
Add eggs one at a time and mix. Make sure it is completely incorporated before adding the next egg. Add rose water,lemon zest and mix well. Add flour little by little and fold in till smooth and velvety . Pour batter into prepared cake pan and place in the oven (no need to pre heat the oven).
Set temperature to 350 degree F and bake for 50- 60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool down completely.