Taste Tested Tuesday: Pound Cake

A few months before I married, I had several great chats with Miss Val, a down-to-earth family friend, an awesome hairdresser, and an experienced wife. One day as she was trimming my hair we started talking about what makes a good marriage. She told me, “I’m sure you’ve already been told about God, good communication, and commitment. I’m gonna tell you something a lot of brides forget about…the importance of keeping your man well fed!”

From that point on, I always carried a pen and pad to my hair appointments and never left Miss Val’s styling chair without a fantastic recipe. One of the best recipes she shared with me was for pound cake. Miss Val couldn’t tell me where the recipe came from, but I can tell you that’s it is the tastiest pound cake that has EVER passed my lips.

This fantastic foolproof recipe yields a pound cake that is perfect year round. Try it dusted with powdered sugar or simply plain. Serve it with warm fruit compote in the fall and winter or with fresh berries, ice cream and/or whipped cream in the spring and summer. Give it a try and you’ll want to make it a permanent part of your recipe file.

Miss Val’s Pound Cake

5 eggs
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 ½ cups sugar
1 cup of milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
¼ teaspoon mace (shell of the nutmeg; I just use nutmeg)
3 cups of flour
3 level teaspoons baking powder

Sift flour and baking powder. Combine eggs, butter, sugar, milk, extracts, and mace on low speed to incorporate the ingredients. Do not overmix! (Batter may look curdled, but it’s fine.) Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time. Mix on high for 4 ½ minutes or until thick and airy. Grease and flour a tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.