Chef Sherri Beauchamp (The Seasonal Kitchen, Fort Mill, South Carolina)
Serves 8
Since moving to South Carolina, I feel that the most Southern item that I have had the privilege to enjoy (besides great barbecue) is pound cake. Pound cake is everywhere in the South, and this recipe is from a dear friend, whom I have had the honor to meet since moving here. The top and side crust on this pound cake is crisp and crunchy—it is the perfect balance to the moist crumb of the cake. It is delicious and very different from my grandma’s Northern pound cake.
2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Cream butter and sugar together, and then add sour cream. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Alternate adding the dry mixture and eggs, one at a time, to the cream mixture, beating after each one. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan, and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.