Goat Cheese Pound Cake

yesss...another pound cake

but not your typical pound cake.

this one is heavy, smooth and dense...

with a 1/2 pound of goat cheese.

the recipe comes from Westfield Farms.  they know their goat cheese.  that's all they do.  they make award winning goat cheese.  check out their list of cheeses.  boy, would i like to get a hold of one of those Classic Blue Logs?!  maybe i'll have to visit their farm sometime...

in my opinion...this one might be on the brink of a perfection as far as texture goes.  mind you it's a bit heavy, but i side on heavy dense smooth tight crumb.

this is definitely dense.  all that creaminess from the goat cheese holds this together with a wonderful smooth texture.

if you're one of those that like a lighter more delicate cake...?   this is not for you.

i do, however, hope you give it a try.  friends and family were pleasantly surprised.  some were a little sceptical when i said "goat cheese" and "pound cake" in the same sentence, but presented as a little sandwich with some homemade jam for a tester ?...

they loved it...

the goat cheese is faint...just a whisper, but it's there...personally, i was hoping for more of a shout because i love goat cheese.  i love goat yogurt.  i love goat as in Moroccan Goat Stew...as a matter of fact i have some homemade goat cheese hanging in the fridge right now.  i wish i would have been able to use it for this cake...maybe next time.

maybe "next time" the  goat cheese will be from my own goat in the back yard...

so many ways to serve a pound cake, but this one is perfect with

fresh fig, a drizzle of honey and maybe a dollop of fresh whipped cream which i didn't have on hand...deeelish. 

i actually made this cake with a new jam in mind...sweet and savory fig shallot was my goal, but i just couldn't find enough good figs to save my life.  i'll try the farmer's market next weekend, but time is running short on fig season.

GOAT CHEESE POUND CAKE

from Westfield Farms

8 oz. goat cheese

3/4 lb. butter

2 cups sugar

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 lemon juice, about 1 1/2 Tbsp.

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

6 eggs

3 cups flour

put the cheese, butter and eggs out to get to room temperature.

preheat oven to 325 F degrees.

butter and flour  your choice of cooking vessel

i used 2 medium loaf tins plus 3 silicone cupcakes.  the recipe calls for a 10 inch tube pan

cream the goat cheese and butter in a stand mixer.  add the sugar, salt, lemon juice, zest and vanilla.  beat until the mixture is very light.  add the eggs, one at a time and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.   reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add flour, beat until just mixed.  spoon batter into a 10 inch tube pan...or i used 2 medium loaf pans.

bake for 1 1/4 hour...mine took 55-60 minutes in the loaf pans and 20-25 minutes in the silicon cupcake molds.  remove cake from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  remove from pans and let cake cool completely.  as i like to suggest...let the cake rest for 1 day, but if you've got TWO...then dig into one while it's a bit warm...maybe you'll enjoy the whole thing, but you'll have a spare for another day.

made 2 medium loaf pans and 3 silicon cupcake molds...not shown