Favorite Cookbook Friday #2 with a Luscious Lemony Pound Cake

Pound cake is a timeless dessert, appropriate for any occasion or not. I bet there are a infinite number of recipes for pound cakes. I have seen Lemon, Plain, 7up, Caramel, Brown Sugar, 5 Flavor, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese and even Chocolate pound cakes. Icing or no icing, it’s your choice. A pound cake is easy to make up, easy to store and simple to transport and, perfect for gift giving. Serve it on a dessert plate or a paper towel either way the receiver will gift you with the same smile of happiness. The best thing I like about the pound cake is,  with each day the cake tastes even better than the day before. It can be baked  in a loaf style pan or a round tube cake pan when it is prepared for baking by completely greasing the pan with shortening and coating the shortening layer with flour in most cases. 

Most of my reading of pound cake recipes require that it is baked between 300-325 degrees for 70-90 minutes. Some are baked at 35o degrees but, I have been hesitant to experiment with those. A pound cake really needs to take its time baking. That is a lot of butter, sugar, flour and, eggs all in one pan and, no one wants a pound cake that is not baked in the middle (and I’ve made a few of those too).  

 Before you get ready you get ready to bake this pound cake or any cake, check to make sure your oven is calibrating at the right temperature. Go to your favorite grocery store and restaurant supply store and buy an oven thermometer.  It’s simple to check. Unwrap the temperature gage. Turn the oven on let it warm up and stick in the oven for at least 10 minutes and then check for the reading. If it is a close to perfect match you’re all set. Get ready to bake. Following these next tips will help you achieve greatness in the pound cake arena.

        Keys to amazing Pound Cakes:

• Every ingredient being at room temperature at least. 
• Properly measured fresh ingredients.
• Have the oven set at the right temperature. 
• Be sure to prepare the cake baking with shortening and flour (no pan spray for a pound cakes). This will insure an easy release from the pan.

Today’s  Favorite Cookbook Friday and and recipe comes from the beloved restaurant owner and author Sylvia Woods and her Family. The book is titled, Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook. 

Sylvia is the owner and namesake to the world famous restaurant Sylvia’s in Harlem, New York. This cookbook is the author’s second and I own both of her recipe treasures. Both of the books are invaluable resources in my library of recipes books. This particular book is one of my favorites because of the stories that are in the pages about her life before Sylvia’s restaurant and after. In between the stories are tempting, mouthwatering recipes for every tastebud. The other cool thing about this cookbook is, it is truly a family cookbook. The recipes are a compilation of recipes submitted by her family and their names have added to the cookbook as the author of their selected contribution(s). There was was even a cook off to see which recipes would be included. That’s in the book too. I hope you like today’s recipe for Luscious Lemony Pound Cake. Courtesy of her family member Sallie Brown. The only change I made to this recipe is the amount of flavoring. I added vanilla and more lemon. You are going to LOVE it!!

           Luscious Lemony Pound Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose  flour

1/2 cup self-rising flour

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 sticks butter softened 

9 large eggs room temperature 

1 1/3 cups sour cream room temperature 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 teaspoons lemon extract

Directions:

1. Set your oven to 300 degrees. Heavily grease and flour a 10 inch tube cake or Angle Food Cake pan. Set aside.
2. In medium mixing bowl combine the self rising flour and the all purpose flour. Using a fork light mix the flours together.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream together the pound of butter and 3 cups of sugar with an electric mixer starting with a low speed.
4. Add the eggs 2 at a time till the yellow disappears.
5. Next, add the flour and sour cream alternately. Begin and end with the flour.
6. Stir in the lemon and pure vanilla extracts with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. (That is not a typo) 

Hint**When the timer goes off , turn off the oven and leave the cake in for 10 more minutes. This is to insure the cake will be perfectly baked inside. 

After 10 minutes take the cake out of the oven and immediately run a butter knife around the pan to separate the cake from the pan completely. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes then turn the cake out to a cooling rack or beautiful cake plate for complete cooking. Another option is serving warm with your favorite ice cream!

What pound cake is your favorite? Is it a family recipe?

Questions and comments? Let me know.