Pound Cake

Pound cake!  Without a pound of anything in it.  I’m probably not the best judge of taste since I have a cold, but it tasted pretty darn good.  

I can’t remember what pound cake tastes like.  I recall eating a lot of it at Vesper Boat Club while waiting to see the Philadelphia Fourth of July fireworks in 2005 when I spent the summer with my aunt and her boyfriend near Ben Franklin’s stomping grounds.  The cake was good because one of the friends I was there with thought that the pound cake was the tops.  Ever experience that sort of being carried along, thinking something’s good though you're actually neutral towards it?  I made vegan pound cake in March or April last year while procrastinating on my junior paper.  It’s only fitting that I should make some pound cake before I work on my thesis, as well.  I made them in the little pans because I’m giving one away as a thank-you.

Pound Cake

Modified from Vegetarian Times

8 ounces (2/3 of a 12.3-ounce box) silken tofu, firm or soft

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almondmilk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (white rice would probably be a good choice, too)

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8*4-inch loaf pan or two 3*5-inch mini loaf pans.

In a blender, blend the tofu, oil, non-dairy milk, and extracts until smooth (no tofu chunks!).  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Fold wet into dry and mix well.  You may need to add a few tablespoons of water, a tablespoon at a time, for the dough to take on all the dry ingredients.  It is a stiff, thick dough.  Transfer to pan(s) and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan, and the centre springs back when touched.  Cool in the pan(s) for ten minutes then cool completely on a rack.

Chocolate glaze (makes more than enough, so you may want to cut it in half):

3/4 cup organic powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

a few tablespoons of water

Mix the sugar and cocoa in a large cup.  Add water one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition, until desired consistency is reached.

I added a bit too much water and thus had good soaking glaze.  You may want that watery consistency if serving the cake immediately for that luscious effect.