My grandmother Burrell has shared this recipe with me and countless others who’ve inquired over the years. The unique part of the recipe is that the baking is started in a cold oven. The recipe for this golden, tender pound cake is a wonderful addition to a wedding shower gift of a nice Bundt cake pan. It’s a gift a couple will enjoy for a lifetime.
Makes 1 Bundt cake
COOKING SPRAY
2 STICKS (½ POUND) BUTTER, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
½ CUP VEGETABLE SHORTENING
3 CUPS SUGAR
6 EGGS, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
3 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, SIFTED 3 TIMES (SEE SOUTHERN MOTHER)
½ TEASPOON SALT
½ TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
1 CUP SOUR CREAM
4 TEASPOONS ALMOND EXTRACT
1. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a bowl.
4. Add the sour cream, almond extract, and flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until just blended.
5. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and place it in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 300˚F and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back slightly when touched, about 1 hour and 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan, then unmold it onto a serving plate or cake stand.
SOUTHERN SIMPLE: This cake does not use a lot of baking powder. Instead, the large amount of eggs helps this rich pound cake rise.
SOUTHERN MOTHER: The flour in this recipe is sifted three times. I like to do it over a sheet of parchment paper with a large bowl handy to catch the flour between sifts. It’s a fun job for the children, but be sure to measure again because a good deal of it might end up on the floor!
One of my sweetest memories is of my family’s Christmas baking tradition. I'd always mark it on my December calendar early in the year. My grandmother would open up her kitchen to my mama, sister, nieces, cousins, and me. We were each given our own jobs and would bake all day long—measuring, rolling out little balls, dipping chocolate, and—of course—tasting . . . till we had tummy aches. To this day, I love hosting this traditional day of baking with all the lovely ladies—little and big—in our sweet family.