Wholewheat Almond Buttermilk Pound Cake … with almond cream & fresh strawberries

“The great thing about cake is it doesn’t feel like work. You forget about work. Kids, adults, they all get the same look in their eye when they’re decorating cakes… That’s the magic right there.”
Duff Goldman

 Wholewheat Almond Buttermilk Pound Cake … made on the trot the other day before dashing off to Bangalore. There was a young, enthusiastic photographer coming over to shoot my profile for a newspaper feature on The New Indian Express … It’s a Feast For the Eyes. How could I not bake a cake?

There was plenty of stuff baked as I was going to be away for 2 days. Some Coffee Shortbread Cookies which I quickly turned into Coffee Shortbread Nutella Sandwich Cookies {absolutely divine}. Also on hand some recently baked Amaranth Oat Walnut Ginger Cookies {gluten free and eggless}, and a batch of Wholewheat Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownies. Of course, there is  always GF Multigrain Granola at home too …Yet, what’s a food porn photo-shoot sans cake? It was a mad rush that day so I had to keep it simple. Short on time, I reached for one of my most trusted recipes, a buttermilk pound cake which has evolved over the years. It’s a basic recipe that works with infinite combinations; a recipe never short on ideas!

I’ve made a buttermilk pound cake a million times in many avatars, my to-go recipe that lives in my head! Some of my favourites versions are the Buttermilk Chocolate Pound Cake, Whole Wheat Coffee Dark Chocolate Pound Cake and the Tres Leches Wholewheat Lemon Pound Cake.

This one turned out to be a hit too. Light, full of flavour with a silky almond whipped cream topping. Fresh sweet strawberries added the right oomph to it; a burst of colour too. You can use any seasonal berries, actually any seasonal fruit for that matter. Mangoes, litchi, kiwi, oranges, plums … all fruit pair well with almond and vanilla!

Photography is sacrosanct and as vital as the written content for Deeba Rajpal, a celebrated food blogger from Gurgaon, who churns out scrumptious recipes and snaps their exquisite replicas for her website Passionate About Baking.

“We eat with our eyes first cannot be understated in today’s increasingly visual and dynamic world. The photographs should complement the recipe and build a food connect with the reader,” says Deeba, who banks on her aesthetic sense, eye for detail and Canon camera for desired captures.… read the rest of the feature on TNIE

[print_this]Recipe: Wholewheat Almond Buttermilk Pound Cake

Summary: A healthier & delicious version of the pound cake, one that works with infinite combinations; a recipe never short on ideas! The good thing about the Wholewheat Almond Buttermilk Pound Cake is that is made of whole grain only. Another plus that it doubles up as a tea time favourite, a snack box filler AND a light, healthy dessert too!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:

• Wholewheat Almond Buttermilk Pound Cake
• 150g whole wheat flour
• 55g almond meal
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 200g vanilla sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
• 100ml cultured buttermilk
• Almond Whipped Cream
• 100ml low fat cream, chilled
• 30g icing sugar
• Few drops almond extract

• 50-75 fresh strawberries
• Handful fresh mint leaves

Method:

1. Wholewheat Almond Buttermilk Pound Cake
2. Grease and flour the sides of a 8″ ring tin, Line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.
3. Preheat the oven to 170C.
4. Sift the wholewheat and almond flour / almond meal with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reserve.
5. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, almond extract and vanilla bean powder.
   
6. With beater on low add the flour mix and buttermilk alternately in three lots.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes till golden brown on top, and the tester comes out clean.
8. Top with almond whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
9. Almond whipped cream
10. Whip the cream, sugar and almond extract until medium peaks.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India