National Pound Cake Day

Today is National Pound Cake Day. I didn't know that until I saw a friend post that little tidbit of information on her Face Book Wall yesterday. The power of suggestion is a mighty one, so I got a big urge to bake, and of course eat, pound cake. It just so happens pound cake is one of my favorite desserts. Probably because of the massive amount of butter, sugar and eggs that go into a proper pound cake.

I looked in Southern Living 40 Years of Our Best Recipes to find a recipe using ingredients I had on hand. I made the Cream Cheese Pound Cake originally featured in the November 1995 issue of Southern Living Magazine as made in a tube pan, then updated in the November 2001 issue as baked in a Bundt pan. I made the Bundt pan version, but next time will make the tube pan version. I guess I'm just a traditional pound cake girl!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups butter, softened,

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.

Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt or tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour 45 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Nine-year-old Austin wanted strawberries and whipped cream on his, but the best I could do was a topping of 1 carton of Cool Whip, 1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple in juice and a 3 oz. package of instant vanilla pudding mixed together to make a topping. (Recognize that topping from the old mandarin orange cake recipe?)

I enjoyed my cake plain, with a cup of Darjeeling. By the way, March is National Caffeine Awareness Month. A cup of tea has half the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.