Rich Pound Cake with Strawberries

Pound Cake with Strawberries

My dear friend Emily was visiting from California this weekend and I wanted to fix her a beautiful Sunday brunch for our visit. Not remembering what were her favorites or can live without foods, wanted to play it safe and come up with something somewhat healthy and somewhat decadent. So this RICH pound cake finished off a lovely brunch. Even with the hour change, time went far too quickly. The only downside, she had to catch a plane.

Here is the recipe below which I snagged from my favorite www.tastespotting.com site and some side notes. One thing for certain, if I owned a behemoth of a mixer, which I can still live without (mostly due to a big space grabber) would have been really super easy. The butter at room temperature during winter was a workout. Photos are of each of the eggs, one at a time, and don’t brag how silky this mixture became.

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

2 sticks butter, room temperature

7 eggs, room temperature

3 cups cake flour, measured then sifted three times

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Generously spray a 10″ bundt pan with baking spray – ensure all the nooks -&- crannies are coated.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  Alternate adding in half of the flour, the cream, then the remaining flour.  Mix well after each addition.

Add the extracts and combine thoroughly.
Pour batter into the prepared pan the place pan into COLD oven and set the temperature to 350°F.   Do NOT place the pan on a baking sheet as bundt pans require heat circulating thru the center core  (a baking sheet will prevent this and your cake will not bake properly).

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a long sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
 Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. 
Invert and cool completely on a wire rack.

This really turned out nice. The only thing I would recommend is that you use a spray to grease the pan, and not just oil. (Just exactly as was recommended!!) It was tough to get out and would have been easier that way. Don’t miss the sifting step as well. You won’t regret it.

 I dusted with confectioners sugar and served with delicious strawberries. A great ending to a visit that ended far too soon.

I wore an old Farmers Market favorite, my Sonoma Olive monogrammed apron!! Love helping small businesses get their logo’s out there.

Bon Appetit!

See more photos of this cake at: www.chanteusedesigns.com/kathleen’sblog