The Champagne Pound Cake

Friends, it’s Day 11 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake!

It’s time to bring out the celebration pound cake!

Meet The Champagne Pound Cake.

This one is bubbly and light and the taste goes straight to your head. But there’s no hangover and no regret afterwards.

The texture is quintessentially pound cake, but the taste is so airy and dreamy that you have to do double take. That texture comes from the bubbly, instead of chemical leavening.

A note about the bubbly: it’s very important to use a dry (brut) sparkling wine (or, if you’re fancy, brut champagne) with this recipe. You have much better control over the sweetness level of this cake if you use a dry sparkling wine; by controlling the sweetness, you create a delicious, tremendously balanced dessert.

And, Family, the taste…it’s just delightful. By using that dry sparkling wine, you can pick up on the very slight berry notes in this cake, which come from the blackcurrants in the creme de cassis. You can also use Chambord if you’re really feeling fancy, but I didn’t want to literally bake Chambord into a cake.

This pound cake would pair exceptionally well with heavy apps at a NYE gathering. Be forewarned, though, it will likely disappear before midnight!

Let’s get to it!

Beginners Start Here

If you’ve read some of my recipes so far, you know that this is the section where I share other BwB resources that might help you execute this cake to the best of your ability. Whether you’re new to baking or you’re a seasoned veteran who’s getting back into it, here are some baking resources to help you take your baking to the next level!

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These resources are super useful to help you understand the techniques that youโ€™ll need to successfully execute this amazing cake, and all of the recipes on this site.

Important Tools Used in this Recipe

Below, youโ€™ll find some tools that I used for this pound cake, as well as all of the pound cakes in this event. Theyโ€™re what I use in my kitchen for just about everything that I bake. **I get paid a small commission if you purchase directly from some of these links, but they are truly amazing products that youโ€™ll find in my kitchen.**

If you have them already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that youโ€™ll need to execute this recipe!

Ready for the recipe? Here it is!

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The Champagne Pound Cake

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This pound cake has the quintessential pound cake texture, while simultaneously tasting airy and light.ย  Slight berry notes make this a perfect celebration cake for New Year’s Eve or any special occasion.

  • Total Time: ~5-7 hours
  • Yield: 14 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Batter:

  • 384 g all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 500 g sugar
  • 230 g butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp strawberry or raspberry extract, or creme de cassis or Chambord
  • 250 g dry (brut) sparkling wine

For the Simple Syrup:

  • 67 g granulated sugar
  • 84 g water
  • 2 tsp creme de cassis or Chambord
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt

For the Final Glaze:

  • 240 g confectionerโ€™s sugar
  • 3 tbsp dry sparkling wine or whole milk
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 1/s tsp fine sea salt

Garnish Ideas:

  • Sugared Cranberries (find the recipe here)
  • Orange Slices
  • Orange Zest
  • Raspberries
  • Decorating Sugar

Instructions

To Make the Batter with a Stand Mixer:

  1. Preheat oven to 325ยฐF.ย  An oven thermometer will help you determine where you need to set your oven in order to get to a true 325ยฐF.
  2. Sift the flour into a medium bowl.ย  Add kosher salt to the mix and whisk to combine.
  3. Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of your stand mixer.ย  Mix on low speed until smooth.ย  (30 seconds)
  4. Slowly add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.ย  (5-10 minutes)
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for at least 45 seconds after each addition.ย  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed (I usually scrape the bowl after the third and sixth egg).ย  This step is especially important for cake rise in this particular cake, as there is no chemical leavening. (7 minutes)
  6. Add vanilla extract and strawberry extract/raspberry extract/creme de cassis/Chambord (whichever you choose to use) and mix until thoroughly combined.ย  (1 minute)
  7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.ย  (30-45 seconds)
  8. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add all of the dry sparkling wine and mix until just combined.ย  Donโ€™t add too quickly or the carbonation will bubble over!ย  (~1 minute)
  9. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.ย  Stop mixing just as soon as the mixture is fully together.ย  (~1 minute)
  10. Using a rubber spatula, fully scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.ย  Then, mix the batter until it is smooth and consistent.ย  Make sure to fully scrape the bottom of the bowl!
  11. Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan with the remaining butter and flour and place the batter in the pan.

To Make the Batter with a Hand Mixer:

  1. Preheat oven to 325ยฐF.ย  An oven thermometer will help you determine where you need to set your oven in order to get to a true 325ยฐF.
  2. Sift the flour into a medium bowl.ย  Add kosher salt and whisk until combined.
  3. Place the room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl.ย  Mix on low speed until smooth.ย  (~1 minute)
  4. Add half of the sugar and mix until the sugar is just incorporated.ย  (~30 seconds)
  5. Add the second half of the sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.ย  (7-12 minutes)
  6. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for at least 45 seconds after each addition.ย  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed (I usually scrape the bowl after the third and sixth egg).ย  This step is especially important for cake rise in this particular cake, as there is no chemical leavening. (7 minutes)
  7. Add vanilla extract and strawberry extract/raspberry extract/creme de cassis/Chambord (whichever you choose to use) and mix until thoroughly combined.ย  (1 minute)
  8. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.ย  (30-45 seconds)
  9. Add all of the dry sparkling wine and mix on lowest speed until combined.ย  (~1 minute).
  10. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.ย  Stop mixing as soon as the mixture is fully together.ย  (1-2 minutes)
  11. Using a rubber spatula, fully scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.ย  Then, mix the batter until it is smooth and consistent.ย  Make sure to fully scrape the bottom of the bowl!
  12. Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan with the remaining butter and flour and place the batter in the pan.

To Bake the Cake:

  1. Bake the cake at a true 325ยฐF for 55-65 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 210ยฐF-215ยฐF.ย  Alternately, the cake is done with a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and a fingerprint indentation bounces back.
  2. Allow the cake to rest for ten minutes while you make the simple syrup.

To Make the Simple Syrup:

  1. Combine sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.ย  Stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.ย  Remove from the heat.
  2. Add the vanilla extract and creme de cassis or Chambord.ย  Stir until combined.
  3. After allowing the cake to rest for ten minutes, invert it onto a cooling rack and carefully remove the bundt pan.
  4. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the simple syrup over the entire cake.
  5. Allow the cake to cool completely.ย  (3-5 hours)

To Make the Final Glaze:

  1. Combine the confectionerโ€™s sugar, fine sea salt, and dry sparkling wine or whole milk in a large bowl.
  2. Mix with a whisk or a spoon until almost smooth.ย  (1-3 minutes).
  3. Add heavy cream and stir until smooth.
  4. Completed glaze should be just pourable and should have the consistency of thick honey.
  5. Using a spouted measuring cup, spoon, or squeeze bottle, drizzle final glaze over the cake.ย  For the photos here, I used a squeeze bottle.

To Store:

This cake can be stored on the countertop for one day, and then refrigerated for up to seven days.

Notes

  • An oven thermometer is strongly recommended to make sure that your oven reaches the correct temperature.
  • It is also strongly recommended to use a digital food scale to measure ingredients using metric measurement. It will seriously make your baking so much easier!
  • This recipe can be halved for a loaf pan or a 6-cup bundt pan.
  • Make sure you take your time to cream the butter and sugar on the front end!ย  Once you add your flour mixture, you have to mix gently in order to avoid over-mixing.
  • This is a big bundt cake.ย  I recommend placing a sheet pan underneath this cake while it bakes for extra insurance.
  • Author: Shani
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes (active)
  • Inactive Time: 3-5 hours
  • Cook Time: 55-65 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 498
  • Sugar: 57.9 g
  • Sodium: 387.1 mg
  • Fat: 15.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 79.7 g
  • Protein: 5.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 115.6 mg

Tomorrow is the Grande Finale! See you then!

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