DELICIOUS POUND CAKE

 

The Best Ever Pound Cake 

 

 I have not made this recipe for at least 13 years but for some reason the cold, ice and snow have me wanting to make a pound cake. 

I have to admit this recipe came from a church cookbook.  I have had the cookbook 25 years.  I am a huge fan of church or community cookbooks.  I love the feel of recipes from this type of book.  Kind of like someone is sharing a part of their family cooking traditions.  I love old family recipes.  Passing down your heritage from one generation to the next is something that has always got me.

I have to tell you and come clean.  I remember the first time I made this recipe.  It was the first-pound cake recipe I have ever attempted to make.  I read all kinds of information about pound cakes because normally a pound cake is a very heavy dense cake but I had been told it did not have to be so.  I have to admit I think there are four reasons why this comes out so to die for delicious.  One, I think it has to do with making sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature.  Two, you start by using your mixer to break up the butter before adding the sugar.  Three, you cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes.  Four, you use cake flour.  Cake flour is a lighter flour than all-purpose flour.  All of those steps just make this recipe come out to be a very light fluffy morsel of awesomeness.  Then the recipe itself is just an awesome recipe.  

Pound cake was called pound cake for a reason.  You used a pound of butter, sugar, eggs, etc...  But you do not with this recipe.  You only use half of a pound of butter.  But oh my goodness can you take the butter in this cake.

If you look closely at this picture you can see the butter has already been broken up before the sugar was added.

Honestly give the creaming process 5 minutes.  This makes a huge difference in your baking.  

Once you have creamed the butter and sugar and one egg in at a time, make sure that it is well incorporated before adding the next egg.

Mix well. Add some of the whipping cream and then slowly add in the flour.  Once all the flour has been added and mixed well add the rest of the cream.  

Your last step is adding in the flavorings.  I used lemon extract and vanilla.

Pour into a well-greased and floured tube or bunt pan.  

Cook in a preheated oven for about an hour to an hour and 30 minutes.  Remember every kitchen is different.  Even the season and the warmth of your home could have something to do with cooking time.  As we know all ovens cook differently as well.  I have been able to cook this cake in an hour while today it took me almost an hour and 20 minutes.  

I take my cake out and allow it to cook for at least 10 minutes.  I probably should have gone a bit longer because I had bits of the sides and top stick.  

Now I need to figure out how to give it away so I will not sit and eat every morsel of this cake.  

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter-room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs-room temperature
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions

• Place butter in a bowl and mix up.  You are wanting to break up the butter 
• Add sugar and cream with the butter for 5 minutes
• At one egg at a time, making sure that each egg has been well incorporated before adding the next egg
• Add a small amount of the cream to the bowl and mix.
• Slowly add the flour into the bowl as you mix
• Once all the flour has been mixed into your bowl add the rest of the cream.  Again mix well
• Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and mix again
• Pour into a well-greased and floured tube or bunt pan
• Cook at 325 degrees until the cake is done which is between an hour and an hour and a half
• Allow your cake to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then release onto your cake plate

I have a bit of a secret and that is I use homemade vanilla extracts.  If you ever make your own you will never want to buy the stuff from the store again.  

Just an FYI you can add more flavorings if you wish.  A lot of recipes are for a or 

flavored pound cake.  

I hope you will try this recipe and if you do please leave your comments.