A classic, any way you slice it

When it comes to pound cake, traditional flavors count

By Debra Samuels, Globe Correspondent | July 14, 2010

There are few better accompaniments to fresh berries than a slice of pound cake, that perfectly balanced classic originally made with one pound butter, one pound sugar, and one pound flour. Now the formulas vary, but it’s always plain, unfrosted, dense, and rich.

We tasted five brands of pound cake, unadorned. Berries and ice cream came later. Cakes range from dense and compact (like frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake) to light and fluffy (Entenmann’s All Butter Loaf Cake). Contrary to the advertising jingle, nobody among our pound cake pundits really liked Sara Lee. She was voted least favorite by six of the 10 tasters. “I’ve seen sponges that have more texture,’’ said one.

Everyone went for the ringer in the group, a cake made from a mix (all others are sold already baked). Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix, to which you add eggs, butter, and milk, came in first. Cake mix aficionados caught on immediately. “Smells like store-bought box cake mix, which is a good thing, if you ask me,’’ announced one.

Alas, the list of stabilizers in some of these confections is staggering. The one from Roche Bros., called “Our Own 100% Butter Pound Cake,’’ is the closest to made-from-scratch with only seven ingredients. The loaves are baked on the premises and frozen immediately. Other brands contain up to 18 ingredients.

One taster always requests pound cake for her birthday and advised us how to prepare leftovers.

“Toast slices in a dry skillet or toaster oven. There is plenty of butter in the loaf without adding more.’’ Then, of course, pile on berries and ice cream.

Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix WINNER!

($2.79)

Prepare this mix and you get two 8-inch loaves and a kitchen that smells like imitation vanilla. Two ounces of butter give the cake a buttery finish, but that’s the only real butter in it. Several tasters gave Betty thumbs up for appearance: “Nicely browned.’’ “Healthy look makes it seem less naughty to indulge.’’ But one thought it had a “painful, rocky’’ look. “Outside color is quite light and it is hard on the top. Tastes like it’s from a mix.’’ (Astute.) Many found the cake’s texture to be “light, almost like angel food cake.’’ “Fluffy’’ and “airy,’’ said others. “Very vanilla. Great aroma. Not too greasy!’’ Another: “A lot of vanilla. Nice smell and texture, but a little dry on the edges.’’

Capitol Old Fashioned Golden Pound Cake

$1.19 for 10 ounces

This was the bargain of the lot. The label says “golden’’ but should say “lemon.’’ Every taster detected citrus flavoring. “Fruity taste,’’ said one. Another: “I like the lemon flavor.’’ “Has a very sweet orange taste.’’ “Tantalizing citrus aftertaste.’’ The appearance bothered some. “Points off for paper wrapping,’’ said one. Others: “greasy,’’ “extremely sweet,’’ and “processed.’’ Then again, one person’s greasy was another’s “melts in your mouth.’’

Entenmann’s All Butter Loaf Cake

$4.29 for 11.5 ounces

Entenmann’s blue and white package is a supermarket standard. This was the most yellow cake of the batch, garnering comments like “bright easy appearance,’’ “looks homemade,’’ and “looks buttery.’’ That buttery quality made it seem “naughty to eat’’ for one taster. For another: “The split across the top is very attractive. It looks appetizing and moist. But looks are misleading. Only the top was moist, the rest is dry. It actually tastes more like pancakes than pound cake.’’ Two chose it as a favorite because they liked the moist texture, sweet taste, “pleasant light flavor,’’ and “good vanilla taste.’’

Roche Bros.

$3.99 for 16 ounces

Wow, this is a pound cake! And one true to the claim of 100 percent butter. Two chose it as their favorite: “The top rose up and is golden brown with a split down the middle. From looks alone I was most excited about this one. Very dense and buttery, tastes most like a pound cake. The top is sugary and pleasant.’’ Seems that most loved the crust, “Looks really good, like I want to pick just at the top, like a muffin,’’ said one. “Cookie-like exterior,’’ “great crust! Most homemade looking!’’ Judgments of the texture ranged from “dense’’ to “very dense’’ to “super dense.’’ You get the picture.

Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake

$3.99 for 10.75 ounces

This familiar pound cake, from the freezer case, is often used as a base for layered desserts with fruit and cream. Going solo didn’t win it any compliments. “A little industrial.’’ “Strange, artificial appearance on top.’’ “Very flat top, doesn’t look appetizing. It tastes like frozen Sara Lee. Taste is very ordinary. I like bland, which is why I like pound cake, but this is pushing it.’’ Someone else picked up on this too: “Tastes and looks like frozen pound cake.’’ It wasn’t all bad. “Nice vanilla tones,’’ “sweet and creamy,’’ “not too rich or sweet,’’ “nice, unremarkable appearance,’’ and “overall, average.’’

© Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

Which is the better butter?

March 10, 2010

Few things taste better than crusty bread spread with butter. Real butter. Many families have banned bread and butter from their tables, but restaurants are serving premium butters again, rather than presenting little dishes of olive oil. We tasted seven brands of unsalted butter, first just the butter, then some of it on a slice of rustic bread. It was a decadent event.

Three of the American brands are made in New England: Kate’s Homemade Butter in Maine; Vermont Cultured Butter, European Style; and High Lawn Farm Unsalted Butter in Lee. Two were imported, from France and Ireland.

Plugrá European Style, made in Winnsboro, Texas, was the big winner. A Belgian taster wondered if the name were taken from the French “plus gras,’’ which means more fat. In this case it was more taste. American regulations require 80 percent butter fat in a product for it to be called butter. European-style butter generally has 85 percent butter fat and is churned, which lowers the moisture, making it very good for using in browning and baking.

With its deep hue, Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter looked like it had been dipped in a pot of gold. It was least favorite. According to the company’s website, cows munch on grass rich in beta carotene. One taster said it was the color of “cinema buttered popcorn’’ and others didn’t like it, either.

Some butters were cultured, which means a slight fermentation of the cream or milk, giving them a soft tang. Several tasters picked up on this - but not in a good way; they thought the butters were “off.’’ All were well within their sell-by dates.

Ingredients typically listed just one word: milk or cream. What a relief. And without salt, noted one in the group, the taste was “more genuine.’’ Please pass the bread.

Plugrá European Style WINNER!
Unsalted Butter
$4.99 for 8 ounces

“My favorite butter from France’’; “French or European,’’ declared two tasters. This is an American-made butter, which comes in a half-pound rectangle. Plugrá is part of Keller’s Creamery, which represents several brands (Breakstone and Borden’s among them) and is part of the cooperative Dairy Farmers of America. The website says the butter has 82 percent butterfat and is “churned in the old world style’’ which adds more air and makes it less moist. Our tasters enjoyed it. “The sweet pleasant mild flavor and perfect color.’’ “Best color and texture.’’ “Like the shape.’’ “Creamy nice texture and nice taste.’’ One said “fattier.’’

Celles sur Belle
Premium Churn Unsalted Butter
$4.29 for 8 ounces

This butter from the Poitou-Charentes region in western France comes in a rectangular shape. It was instantly identified as a European brand by several and had one favorite vote: “Import quality, not American butter.’’ The texture was described as “creamy’’ by several people. Others commented: “Light and mild taste,’’ “pale yellow and pale taste,’’ “sweet, delicious and mild.’’ The color worked against the brand for one: “Pale color. Looks like lard.’’

High Lawn Farm
Unsalted Butter
$5.99 for 16 ounces

This home-grown company from Lee got low marks for its packaging. “The fact that this butter is in a tub works against it. You take it less seriously because of that.’’ “Reminds me of margarine.’’ People found the taste “average,’’ “not much flavor,’’ “airy.’’ Some found the texture “heavy and hard,’’ “brittle,’’ “OK on bread.’’

Kate’s Homemade Butter
Unsalted
$5.39 for 16 ounces

Little Kate and her red kerchief are very appealing on this Maine butter, which comes in a box with four 4-ounce bars. Most tasters found it lacking in flavor: “Least buttery,’’ “not much taste,’’ “short on flavor.’’ Many liked the texture: “Very creamy and smooth,’’ “creamiest,’’ “tastes good with bread.’’

Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
Unsalted
$2.69 for 8 ounces

Kerrygold is made in a rectangular shape. Those happy grass-fed Emerald Isle cows produce a very golden butter, whose color was a detraction. “Looks like margarine.’’ “Very yellow; oily with a margarine taste.’’ “Yellow. Strange aftertaste when tasted alone. Less pronounced when eaten with bread.’’ Others: “I like the look that is more yellow. Tastes better with bread.’’ “Nice color, great taste.’’ Two said the texture was “oily,’’ “greasy.’’ “It left a film on my tongue.’’ “A bit of a smell (buttery?) which I didn’t find that pleasing but it definitely tasted good on the bread.’’

Land O’Lakes
Unsalted Sweet Butter
$2.50 for 16 ounces

The brand with the iconic (and controversial) Native American woman kneeling before a lake is the butter most Americans know best. “Subtle smell. Smooth and velvety. Tastes like the brand I usually eat? Pleasant both on and off bread.’’ Most noted its taste: “Light, not full flavor.’’ “Sweet and mild.’’ “Watery flavor.’’ “I can taste vegetable oil.’’ The color was described as “pale.’’ On the texture: “Bit of an oily aftertaste.’’ “Creamy mouth feel.’’

Vermont Cultured Butter

European Style
Unsalted
$4.99 for 8 ounces

This butter comes in a half-pound cylinder. “Surprised this tasted sour in comparison to others. I believe this is from Normandy and I usually love their butter.’’ (It’s made in Vermont.) “A little too oily. Better for cooking than eating, but good taste.’’ “Soft, smooth, melts in your mouth, spreadable.’’ As for flavor: “Bland, fat taste.’’ “Mild. No aftertaste.’’ “Not much taste on bread either. Greasier.’’ The appearance put one off: “Looks like a yellow sausage tube.’’

Navigating a veritable sea of tuna salads

February 3, 2010

For many people, tuna salad is the ultimate lunch, spread between hearty slices of toast, tucked inside a sub roll, or scooped onto shredded lettuce. It’s filling and deliciously old-fashioned.

Eight people tasted prepared tuna salads from the deli departments of four supermarkets and one delicatessen. Of the five sampled, only Barry’s Village Deli in Newton is made daily on the premises. Roche Bros.’s prepared tuna salad is made in Haverhill and delivered four times a week; Whole Foods Market delivers six days a week from their commissary in Everett; Shaw’s does a cross-county trip from Oregon three times a week; Stop & Shop did not answer calls to tell us where theirs was made.

Textures range from chunky to pureed. “I like chunks of tuna,’’ one taster said. It turned out she was eating Buck’s tuna from Whole Foods. Stop & Shop offers a creamy puree. Tasters found Barry’s sweet, Roche Bros. zesty. A constant in all the salads is mayo and celery, but after that each entry is different. They include pickle relish and onions. An unexpected add-in is matzoh meal. What’s matzoh meal doing in tuna? Stabilizing, probably.

Colors range from shades of white to pinky tan. Barry’s, Roche Bros., and Whole Foods Market use white albacore; Shaw’s and Stop & Shop use light tuna.

Roche Bros. was the winner. It’s made by food purveyor Hans Kissle in Haverhill. Barry’s was a close second. “We sell at least 200 pounds of the stuff a week,’’ says Barry’s manager Scotti Leslie. It’s a popular item elsewhere too. “It’s one of our top sellers in prepared foods,’’ says Robin Rehfield of Whole Foods Market North Atlantic region.

Each of the candidates got at least one favorite vote; Shaw’s got three. When all the tasting was done, the crew topped whole wheat bread with their favorite spread, added tomato and lettuce and sat down for a classic lunch, sweet pickles and chips on the side.

Barry’s Village Deli
$8.99 a pound

If you like your tuna on the sweet side you’ll love his version. Some tasters didn’t: “Very sweet and relishy - not a big fan. The tuna flavor is mild and consistency is OK.’’ Then: “Sweet! I love it! You can feel the freshness.’’ “What’s that seasoning? Sugar? Spice? Something nice,’’ another wrote. (In fact, it’s sweet pickle relish.) “Pleasant taste and smell, grainy texture but a distinctive flavor.’’ “Low mayo ratio,’’ said another. Scotti Leslie of Barry’s says the shop uses a high-quality low-fat mayonnaise. Several noted the texture, “I like the chunky tuna in this one, tastes fresher, but a bit too sweet.’’

Shaw’s
$6.99 a pound

The creamiest of the lot. “The tuna is so pureed it is practically a spread. A very smooth texture and noticeably light color; you can definitely taste the mayonnaise in this one.’’ “Run of the mill, ’’ announced another. “Tastes a bit processed. Not enough lemon or onion.’’ “Salty and not appetizing.’’

Stop & Shop
$5.99 a pound

The other creamy entry. This is the salad that lists matzoh meal in the ingredients. “Looks like flesh-colored mayonnaise. Too creamy and mushy feeling. Slight fishy taste.’’ “Tuna puree is more like it,’’ said another. “Far too processed. No lemon, no onion, just sugar.’’ One thought the consistency was a plus: “Very creamy but with a nice addition of pickles. Distinct shiny color and perfect for spreading.’’ Another: “Looks gooey, pinkish, and tastes good.’’

Roche Bros. Winner!
$6.99 a pound

This is the salad that the tasters found most balanced and interesting, without sweetness. Ingredients include white tuna, celery, mayonnaise, garlic salt, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. “Good taste, texture, and the balance between tuna and onion is good. Perhaps a bit more lemon would be good.’’ “This one tastes the most fresh! Not too sweet.’’ “Good honest tuna salad. Just crunchy enough, not sweet, like homemade.’’ “Smooth texture, with nice crunchy bites mingling with the tuna.’’ The lone detractor said, “No imagination, not particularly snazzy, but you know, it’s fish.’’

Whole Foods Market’s Buck’s Tuna Salad
$7.99 a pound

A Whole Foods team member named Buck submitted her favorite recipe for an in-house contest and Buck’s tuna became a favorite among many consumers. It’s simple: albacore tuna, mayo, red onion, and celery. Many noted that onion taste: “Lots of red onion and lemon (not sure about that), but slightly dry. Strong fishy smell and taste, which is not nice.’’ “Onion?’’ was the single comment from another. Several noted the size of the tuna chunks: “Very creamy in both taste and texture, the large-ish pieces of the tuna still manage to feel dry. I don’t find any flavor.’’ (The store uses dry-pack albacore.) “You can actually taste tuna meat in here, not tuna puree like most others. Problem is there is no other flavor.’’ “Tastes OK, but very dense mouth feel.’’ “I like the chunks in this one, tastes fresh.’’