Pound Cake

a

mmm poundcake. i admit, the only poundcake i've ever had was store-bought Sara Lee. *ashamed* this will be my first attempt at home-made poundcake.

i actually love eating it cold and with a glass of milk. i like dipping it in the milk until it's soggy and then smushing it in my mouth.

another delicious way to eat it is to toast it in the oven for a couple minutes until the outside is slightly and crispy. serve it with a scoop of vanilla icecream and some fresh berries. yum!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan, preferably glass, and dust with flour.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended.
   
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended.
   
4. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated.
   
5. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
7. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let cool.

Other delicious variations to try!

• Omit the almond extract and stirring in 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and 1 Tbs. poppy seeds
• If you like almonds, add the optional almond extract and sprinkle sliced almonds on top before baking.
  
• Top the slices with fresh fruit