

Remember how excited I was for Nicole Taylor’s Cherokee Rose Pound Cake earlier this year? Here’s another pound cake that made me just as happy, with the added bonus that it’s gluten-free. Kyra Bussanich, owner of Kyra’s Bake Shop and two-time winner of “Cupcake Wars”, developed this version of her quick and easy gluten-free pound cake just for our readers on the column. It has a perfect crumb, is incredibly moist, and I suspect a perfect base for experimenting with, by adding chocolate chips, glazes of all types, or of course just eating plain. –Kristina

About Kyra: Following a severe battle for her health, and a conversion to eating gluten-free, Kyra Bussanich graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu and opened her award-winning bakery “Kyra’s Bake Shop” (formerly called Crave Bake Shop) in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Her specialty is “gluten-free, deliciously”– and she quickly became a sensation and picked up national media attention as a “must see when you visit Portland.” Kyra is a two-time winner of The Food Network’s hit show “Cupcake Wars”, beating out the competition with her gluten-free recipes. She now makes other goods, in addition to desserts, in order to help those with celiac and other autoimmune diseases enjoy delicious items while still adhering to eating gluten-free. Her cookbook, Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts For the Gluten-Free Lifestyle, which was just released earlier this September contains a range of her baked goods.

See Kyra’s recipe after the jump!

Quick and Easy Pound Cake

Nothing welcomes company better than homemade pastries, and if you use a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix, nothing will come together faster than this Quick and Easy Pound Cake. See the bottom of the recipe for flavor variations.

Note: Kyra tried “Jules’ Gluten-Free All Purpose” and “Pamela’s Ultimate Gluten-Free” with good results, although the texture was slightly different; She suggests you make sure your mix includes xanthan gum or guar gum; if not, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum or guar gum )

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ cups gluten-free baking mix

1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 2-pound loaf pan with gluten free cooking spray or brush with melted butter and line with parchment baking paper. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy and pale in color. Add the sugar and beat to combine and return to the light fluffy texture. Add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle half the gluten-free baking mix into the sugar mixture and mix slightly. Add the sour cream or greek yogurt and mix in, then add the remaining dry mix. Stir the batter by hand just to blend and pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center just comes out clean, about 45-60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan about an hour and then invert the cake onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

*Optional variations:

Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon or orange zest right before baking to give this cake a citrus appeal; stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips or nuts: the possibilities are endless!

©2013 Kyra Bussanich, author of “Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts For the Gluten-Free Lifestyle”

Why Kyra loves this recipe

I love poundcake because it was the very first thing I learned how to bake all by myself (other than toasted PBJs) when I was 7 years old, and it has always been my go-to party snack. You can toast it and dip it in chocolate fondue; you can slice it thinly and serve with berries and freshly whipped cream; you can even plop a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzle it with hot fudge sauce.