Pound cake was a regular in our dessert line-up when I was a child. It’s so versatile — great plain, even better topped with pureed berries or homemade chocolate sauce or scratch-made whipped cream. My copy of this recipe is one of my favorite kinds: hand-written in my grandmother’s loopy cursive. It’s in my hands because my mother made scrapbooks of our favorite foods and gave them to my sisters and me once we were no longer living at home. This pound cake has been requested for birthday cakes and Christmas dinners from my kids. I have to put strict limits on the number of slices that can be eaten or both loaves would be gone in a night! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (three sticks) butter, softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. pure almond extra
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease two standard-sized loaf pans with butter. Set aside.
- Cream sticks of butter and sugar together in stand-up mixer. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add half flour to mixer then add half of the milk. Mix well. Add rest of flour and rest of milk. Mix until all is creamy.
- Add vanilla and almond extract. Beat on high for 20 seconds.
- Pour batter into two prepared pans. Bake for one hour, until inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Carefully remove onto cooling rack for one hour.