Did you know that the pound cake was so named because some of the early recipes required a pound each of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. The recipe originated in the 1700's in good ole England. The original recipe called for no leavening, just the air incorporated by the countless stokes of the whisk. In the days when many people couldn't read, this simple method made it simple to remember the recipe.

Being such an easy recipe to remember; I had to try it myself. So I opted to make a 'Half Pound Cake' using the same principal of the pound cake. First beat the half a pound butter to soften. Then beat in half a pound of sugar till light and fluffy. Incorporate half a pound of eggs a small portion at a time maintain the volume of air. Then finally add half a pound of flour till combined.

It produced an perfectly acceptable, albeit dense cake, but it was too dense and dry for my liking. So I present this non-historically traditional pound cake. It's a is a lighter moist cake with a softer crumb. The extra-lightness is aided by baking soda.

You can make a variation on this cake by swapping the lime zest and juice for orange or even grapefruit for a zingy winter lifter!