Sour Cream Pound Cake

The History of pound cake dates back to the early 1700s.  It is believed that the pound cake is a Northern European dish and was traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.  Over time the ingredients for pound cake changed and everyone started adding different ingredients. For example, Eliza Leslie who wrote the 1851 edition of Direction for Cookery used 10 eggs and beat them as light as possible and mixed them with a pound of flour then adding the juice of two lemons or three large oranges, which changed the flavor and texture of the cake. Everyone had their own way and belief of making a pound cake. For instance, 5 years ago James Villas wrote in the 2008 issue of Saveur that flour won’t work in place of all purpose flour because it lacks the strength to support the heavy batter.

My recipe brings back many memories it has been handed down through the decades in my family.  I have tweaked it here and there to add my own flavors and touches, this recipe makes a very dense, rich and flavorful  pound cake. Wonderful on its own with it’s crunchy crust or sprinkled with 10-x (powdered sugar), or glazed with a vanilla glaze.

SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Almond extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated.
3. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time.
4. Add the flavorings and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.