The Absolute Best Type Of Butter For Pound Cake - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

The Absolute Best Type Of Butter For Pound Cake - Tasting Table? ›

According to Real Simple, when testing three different pound cake recipes using Amish butter, European butter, and American butter, European butter worked best due to its higher fat content, vibrant yellow hue, richness in flavor, and denseness.

Unsalted, American-style butter works well in goods like cookies, pound cakes and pancakes that require the high-fat content of conventional butter and more flexibility with salt and flavor content.

Unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavor of your recipe. This is especially important in certain baked goods where the pure, sweet cream flavor of butter is key (butter cookies or pound cakes). As it pertains to cooking, unsalted butter lets the real, natural flavor of your foods come through.

The biggest difference in butter is the amount of salt. For baking purposes, the Test Kitchen recommends using unsalted butter so you can better control the amount of salt that goes into the recipe. Salted butter is best for serving at the table with bread or to flavor a dish, like mashed potatoes.

Since the concept of squeeze spread isn't new, we found a way to make LAND O LAKES^® Soft Squeeze^™ butter spread stand out: It contains real butter.

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Not 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

European-style butter

European butters have a higher butterfat percentage than American butters, and have become the butters of choice for many chefs, bakers, and passionate home cooks.

When using salted butter in baking, it's important to keep in mind that it may impact the final taste of the product as it contains added salt. It's recommended to either reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by a 1/4 teaspoon or omit it completely. The amount of butter used in the recipe should not be changed.

Butter cakes (also referred to as creamed cakes) have a lighter texture and greater volume than pound cakes. Pound cakes (named because they originally contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour) tend to be denser.

What kind of butter is best for cake mix? ›

Unsalted butter is the best choice, unless you have a salt tooth, like me, and prefer desserts with a little extra salt to balance out the sweetness. In that case, you can use salted butter.

The brand has good links with farmers throughout Ireland, assuring a steady supply of milk from cows that roam freely on verdant meadows. Kerrygold prioritizes grass-fed cows to ensure that the butter produced has the distinct features and flavors associated with Irish butter.

Editor's Choice: Finlandia Unsalted

Finlandia butter has a natural, well-rounded, clean flavor. Most of the evaluators came to the butter tasting thinking that Kerrygold was king and left with a new favorite: Finlandia.

That means it's 18% water, at least 80% butterfat, and 1% to 2% milk solids. Why grade AA? It's the most buttery in flavor of all three grades: AA, A, and B. It has a light, fresh flavor and smooth texture — a perfect butter for baking and using at the table.

Baking recipes typically call for unsalted butter because the amount of salt in salted butter varies depending on the brand – there is no “industry standard.” For example, if you use one brand of salted butter in a recipe, and we use another, our baked goods could end up tasting very different from one other.

The higher butterfat percentage in European butter is one of the main reasons why many consider butters from across the pond to be superior to those produced in the US. It's better for baking, but it also creates a richer flavor and texture even if all you're doing is smearing your butter on bread.

Kerrygold Salted Butter is a great all-purpose, all-natural butter. Spread it on a warm piece of crusty bread or serve it tableside with every meal. It's also a wonderful butter for cooking. The grass-fed cow's milk flavor elevates your dishes and makes Kerrygold the best-tasting butter.