Recipe: My Go-to Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake, recipe by Mrs. Lib Plyler, baked in my favorite pound cake pan given to me by Mrs. Mary Lee Rowell. Both ladies were elderly and close neighbors when we moved to our little farm in 1985. Whenever I bake this cake I think of them both.

Lemon Pound Cake

(As always, read through this recipe before you start.)

2 sticks butter, room temp
1/2 c. Crisco shortening (must be Crisco..the cheap stuff won't give you a good crumb)
3 c. sugar
3 large eggs
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1 c. milk
2 tsp. lemon extract (almond is good if you don't want a lemon cake)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
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3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter, Crisco, and shortening till fluffy; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine milk and extracts in a measuring cup and set aside.
Whisk flour and baking powder together in a bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer (stand or hand held...doesn't matter which), alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to creamed butter mixture, beating at medium-low speed until incorporated and all of the flour and milk have been added. Scrape the bowl several times while you're adding the ingredients.

Spoon batter into a 10 cup pound cake pan that you've buttered and floured. Tap on the counter to force out any air bubbles that might be in the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until it tests done with a wooden skewer. Cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes, then turn upside down on the rack to finish cooling. Store at room temp, covered, in your favorite cake pedestal or plastic container. Glaze if you want, but we like it just plain. You can cut this in half or quarters and freeze. Better yet, invite some friends over for dessert!

(This also freezes well.)