Cardamom And Currant Pound Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• Strawberry Butter
• ½ cup hulled and roughly chopped strawberries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Pound Cake
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature, plus more for greasing
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup currants

Directions

1. Make the strawberry butter: In a bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar, vanilla and salt; let the mixture macerate for 30 minutes. Drain off any accumulated juices and place the strawberries and softened butter into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is well combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the butter into a ramekin and cover. Chill for several hours or overnight.
2. Make the pound cake: Preheat the oven to 400º. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch of overhang on all sides. Grease the paper with butter or nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the sugar and brown sugar. In a mixing bowl using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together the butter, salt and baking powder until combined. Add the sugars to the butter mixture in three separate stages, beating until creamy and fluffy between each addition. Add the flour and cardamom, beating slowly, until just combined (the batter will be thick). Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the currants.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Place a tent of foil over the pan and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted just to the side of the center comes out clean. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a baking rack and let cool completely. Slice and serve with the strawberry butter.