Yuzu Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
A moist, buttery pound cake with bright yuzu flavor from bottled yuzu cha, no fresh yuzu needed. Baked in a small 18 cm loaf pan and topped with tangy cream cheese whipped cream, it's an easy way to bring Japanese citrus into an everyday bake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 100 g cake flour
- 3 g baking powder
- 40 g salted butter
- 2 large eggs (about 64 g each), room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 40 g sour cream
- 90 g yuzu cha (yuzu tea marmalade)
- 2 thin slices butter for the center line
For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 50 g cream cheese softened
- 8 g powdered sugar
- 100 g heavy cream
- salt (optional) a tiny pinch
- fresh mint (optional) as a garnish
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and line an 18 cm loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the cake flour and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl; set aside.
- Melt the salted butter in a water bath: place a glass pan with the butter directly in a saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of water, and heat until the butter is fully melted. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- In a separate bowl, whip the eggs and granulated sugar on high speed with a hand mixer until pale and thick, until the batter holds a figure 8 shape about 1 cm high. Switch to low speed and mix for 30 seconds more. Set aside.
- Sift about ⅔ of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Fold with a cutting, scooping motion, turning the bowl with your other hand, until no flour is visible.
- Add the sour cream to the melted butter. Stir together until smooth.
- Sift the remaining flour mixture into the butter mixture and fold with a spatula until no dry flour remains. Mix briefly with your hand mixer.
- Add two scoops of the egg batter into the butter mixture and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
- Pour the butter mixture into the remaining egg batter and fold again with a cutting, scooping motion.
- Add the yuzu cha, brought to room temperature, and fold until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and drop it on the counter 3 to 4 times to release air bubbles.
- Lay two thin slices of butter, for the center line, on top of the batter. Make sure they are connected to form one solid line.
- Bake at 320°F (160°C) for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan. Once the cake is cool enough to handle, gently remove it from the pan and parchment paper.
For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- Beat the cream cheese in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until completely smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the cold heavy cream while mixing on low speed.
- Increase to medium speed and whip to soft-to-medium peaks. Stop as soon as the beaters leave trails, since it can overwhip quickly.
- Stir in a tiny pinch of salt, if using.
- Slice the cake and add a dollop of whipped cream to the edge of each slice. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.
Notes
- This recipe is sized for an 18 cm loaf pan. If you don't have one, divide the batter into a muffin or cupcake tin instead and start checking for doneness earlier, since smaller portions bake faster.
- Keep the butter for the center line in one continuous, unbroken strip. Gaps in the line will give you an uneven crack, or none at all. Use a bit more butter if needed to ensure the strips are connected (see process photo #13).
- Use fresh, cold heavy cream with at least 36% fat for the whipped cream. Stop whipping as soon as the beaters leave trails, that's already soft peaks, and going further will turn it grainy instead of thicker.
- Once cooled, the plain cake keeps well at room temperature for a few days. If it's already topped with the whipped cream, store it in the fridge instead and eat within a couple of days.
- The cake can be baked a day or two ahead and kept wrapped at room temperature. Make the whipped cream closer to serving time.
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