“I desired dragons with a profound desire. Of course, I in my timid body did not wish to have them in the neighborhood . . . But the world that contained even the imagination of Fáfnir was richer and more beautiful, at whatever cost of peril.”
–J. R. R. Tolkien, Essay "On Fairy-Stories"
Dragon Pound Cake
Ingredients:
Shortening for greasing the pan
3 1/4 Cups Flour + a little extra for dusting the pan
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 Cup (3 sticks) Butter, room temperature/soft
3 Cups Sugar
5 Eggs, room temperature
1 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp. Butter Flavoring
1 tsp. Walnut Extract (optional, but soo delicious & unique!)
Directions:
1. Grease the dragon pan using a paper towel with shortening on it, using a skewer or toothpick to press the paper towel (with shortening) into the details of the pan. You want to make sure it's very well greased! Next, sprinkle in some flour & tap it around the pan to get it into all of the crevices. Blow away any heavy collections of flour so that you end up with a light/thin & even layer of flour around the whole inside of the pan.
2. Heat your oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter until fluffy & smooth, & then add in the sugar & beat well. On medium-low beat the eggs in one at a time until smooth. Beginning & ending with the flour mixture, alternate small additions of the flour & milk until they are gone & the batter is smooth & creamy. Lastly, blend in the flavorings.
3. Pour a little bit of the batter into the dragon pan & tap it down. Pour in a little more & tap again. Keep doing this until all of the batter is in the pan. Use a knife or skewer to gently swirl through the batter in the pan to get out any air bubbles. Place the dragon pan onto a large baking tray & slide into the middle rack in the oven. Bake for an hour, or until a beautiful golden brown & a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, save for a few moist crumbs.
4. Remove from the oven & let cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan. To remove from the pan, run a butter knife around the edge (but you probably won't need to) & invert a large plate or serving tray on top. Holding the plate & edges of the pan, flip it all over so the dragon pan is right-side-up (dragon-side-up). Tap the plate & pan a few times on the counter & the cake should slide right out! Serve as is or drizzle on a simple glaze made from a little powdered sugar, milk or water, & optional clear flavoring. Great with ice cream, or grab a chunk on your way out questing!
I love this pan so much! I have one of my own and used it for the Pendragon Cake on my blog a little while back. Now I want to use it for a hobbit party! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's such a cool pan! I'm already thinking what other events I can use it for ;)
DeleteOh my gosh this looks EPIC!! xoxo
ReplyDelete♥ Cateaclysmic ♥
^__^ thanks!
DeleteHave been baking it for an hour and a half. It's still liquid in the middle.
ReplyDeleteHi, Arnhild, I'm so sorry it's not working out for you! I apologize also for the late response, I've been out of town/away from my computer. I'm not sure what the issue could be, this recipe has been used for at least 60 years with great results. Perhaps altitude could be an issue?
DeleteHmm, I don't know if altitude could be an issue? I'm practically at sea level. (My boyfriend says a 100 meters).😊 Am trying it again today for a wedding, because in the end, it was really good, and easy to get out of the pan. But I did end up having it in the oven for two hours. Am turning up the heat a little bit this time!
DeleteI had the same problem, think it ended up baking for at least an hour and a half? I'm also at sea level (Seattle). It turned out really good, practically fell out of the pan. It did turn out crunchy on the outside, which I thought was delicious, but not sure if it's supposed to do that
DeleteSounds like a humidity issue. Being near the sea tends to have more moisture in the air. Add a smidge less liquid or just add the bake time.(someone smarter is gonna have to do the math on that one)
ReplyDelete