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Basic Recipes

Classic German Pound Cake (Sandkuchen)

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Golden German pound cake (Sandkuchen) baked in a loaf pan, sliced to show its fine crumb

4.3 (6)out of 5, 6 ratings

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Sandkuchen, a German pound cake, is so much more than a simple loaf cake for afternoon coffee. In a professional bakery, this batter is the first choice whenever you need versatility and stability. Whether as a classic loaf cake, the base for modern cupcakes or a sturdy foundation for tiered wedding cakes: the possibilities really are endless!

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This recipe is scaled to fit a classic loaf pan or a 7-inch (18 cm) round springform pan perfectly.

Why this batter is every cake designer's favorite

What makes it so special is its fine, almost "sandy" crumb (that's where the German name comes from!), which comes from the perfect balance of fat, eggs and flour or starch.

Ideal for decorated cakes: Because the cake is very stable, it is easy to slice and fill. It is the perfect base to spread with strawberry jam, fill and then cover with fondant or marzipan.

Cupcake power: You can bake the batter beautifully in muffin liners. Thanks to its stability, the cupcakes easily hold even heavy cream cheese frostings or ganache toppings.

Wedding cake security: If you want to build high, this batter is your best friend. It doesn't sink under the weight of the upper tiers and still stays moist.

Tips for kids' birthdays and creative decorating

Sandkuchen is the absolute favorite for kids' birthday parties. Everyone loves it, it doesn't crumble too much, and it is wonderful to decorate with colorful sprinkles or glazes. Thanks to its firm texture, you can even cut it into shapes (for example a number cake or a car) without it falling apart.

Whether plain with a cup of tea or as the centerpiece of an elaborate celebration, with this batter you are laying the foundation for baking success!

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks plus 2 tbsp250 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 1 ¼ cups250 ggranulated sugar
  • 4 tspvanilla sugar or vanilla bean seeds2 packets = 4 tsp (16 g). Vanilla sugar is sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet. Vanilla bean seeds are the tiny seeds scraped from a vanilla bean (US and UK: seeds from a vanilla bean or pod, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste).
  • 1vanilla beanA whole vanilla pod; the seeds are scraped out and used. In the US use a vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste per bean; in the UK, a vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste per pod.
  • salta pinch
  • 4large eggs
  • 2 cups250 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 2 tspbaking powderGerman baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. Regular baking powder works in the US and UK.

Method

  1. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla sugar or vanilla bean seeds and salt until creamy.

  2. Add the eggs one at a time.

  3. Add the flour and baking powder and stir everything together briefly.

  4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until baked through.