Ever since I started this blog, I’ve been thinking of featuring some version of the story of “The Little Red Hen”. This story is such a popular for one for children in the Western world and features baking, so it seemed like a perfect fit for a blog about food in children’s stories. However, I have really mixed feelings about “The Little Red Hen” and wanted to find just the right version to feature here. For those who aren’t familiar with the story, “The Little Red Hen” is the tale of an industrious chicken who harvests her own wheat, grinds it into flour, and bakes bread. Along the way, she asks for assistance from her friends (usually other farm animals) who refuse to help her because they’d rather rest or sleep. As a result, when the loaf of bread has been baked, the Hen refuses to share the bread with her lazy friends because they did not help her with any of the steps of making the bread. As a child, this story held a strange fascination for me. I remember thinking that the Hen was mean to withhold food from her friends, even if they were lazy, and I always thought she should just give them another chance! On the other hand, I could also see why the other animals didn’t really seem to deserve a share of the Hen’s hard work. As an adult reading this story, I don’t think it is necessarily a great moral for society as a whole. A society who only cares for those it deems “deserving” is not a society I would want to be a part of. But on a smaller, household level, I have found this story to be helpful in illustrating to my kids why everyone needs to pitch in help in our house. The Little Red Hen is an easily understood example for kids to see the unfairness of only some members of the household taking on all the work that needs to be done.
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone is my favorite version of this story. I love the vintage feeling of the adorable illustrations and I especially like that the Hen makes cake out of her flour instead of bread. I like this detail because: 1. I love cake, and 2. I think it makes the moral of the story a bit less harsh. If the animals are missing out on having a piece of cake, that seems more like they are denied a treat because they didn’t do their share of the work and less like they are being denied actual sustenance. Maybe this is a small detail, but it changes the meaning of the story for me significantly. I also like that Galdone’s version of the story gives the other animals a second chance, as they are shown helping out with the chores on the last page of the book.
The fact that this version of the story features cake instead of bread gave me the perfect excuse to try out some versions of Pound Cake. I have read that Pound Cake derives its name from the fact that early recipes used 1 pound of butter, 1 pound of sugar, and 1 pound of flour. While my recipe is not quite that extravagant, this is still a rich, buttery cake that feels indulgent. I added some extra richness by browning the butter before adding it to the cake. This step adds some extra time as the butter must be melted in order to brown, and then has to be cooled again before adding it to the batter. You could easily skip the browning step and just use 3 sticks of softened butter, but the browning really adds a unique depth of flavor. One of the best things about Pound Cake is how versatile it can be. I like to serve a slice topped with berries and whipped cream or cooked a little on the grill and served with peaches and ice cream.
Brown Butter Pound Cake
Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan until melted. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook the butter until the fat turns golden brown, about 10 minutes. The fat will first form a white foam on the top of the pan, then sink to the bottom and brown. This is best done in a light-colored pan so that the browning process can be seen. You know the butter is properly browned when the fat solids look golden and the butter has a nutty scent. Remove browned butter from the heat immediately and cool in the refrigerator until the butter is cooled and has a creamy consistency, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350ºF and butter and flour 2 loaf pans or 2 10" cake pans. Pound cakes are traditionally baked in a loaf shape, but I prefer to use cake pans as I find the cake is less likely to sink in the middle. Alternatively, line the pans with parchment paper and then grease the parchment. Add the browned and cooled butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or to a large mixing bowl. With the mixer turned on low, or with a wooden spoon in the mixing bowl, beat the sugar and vanilla into the butter until they are creamed together.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. With the mixer on low speed, or in the mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour, a little at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with 1/4 cup of the milk, until all the flour and milk have been added to the batter. Turn the mixer on high, or beat vigorously with the spoon, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the batter is completely smooth and thickened. Pour the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before removing from pans and serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan until melted. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook the butter until the fat turns golden brown, about 10 minutes. The fat will first form a white foam on the top of the pan, then sink to the bottom and brown. This is best done in a light-colored pan so that the browning process can be seen. You know the butter is properly browned when the fat solids look golden and the butter has a nutty scent. Remove browned butter from the heat immediately and cool in the refrigerator until the butter is cooled and has a creamy consistency, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350ºF and butter and flour 2 loaf pans or 2 10" cake pans. Pound cakes are traditionally baked in a loaf shape, but I prefer to use cake pans as I find the cake is less likely to sink in the middle. Alternatively, line the pans with parchment paper and then grease the parchment. Add the browned and cooled butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or to a large mixing bowl. With the mixer turned on low, or with a wooden spoon in the mixing bowl, beat the sugar and vanilla into the butter until they are creamed together.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. With the mixer on low speed, or in the mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour, a little at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with 1/4 cup of the milk, until all the flour and milk have been added to the batter. Turn the mixer on high, or beat vigorously with the spoon, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the batter is completely smooth and thickened. Pour the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before removing from pans and serving.
