Recipe for Poundcake and its Variations

Cream together:

3 sticks softened butter
8 oz. sour cream or cream cheese

Add in, one at a time, beating well between each addition:

6 eggs

Add to the mixture and blend thoroughly:

3 cups sugar
Sift together and add slowly to the mixture:
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

For Basic Vanilla Cake, add:

1 T Vanilla

Bake in a greased and floured bundt or tube pan at 350º Fahrenheit (200º C) for approximately 80 minutes. Test with a straw or knife to ensure the cake is done and bake additionally in 5-10 minute increments until the straw or knife comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting the cake and removing the pan.

The following variations to the basic recipe are excellent. Substitute these ingredients for the Vanilla in the basic recipe and bake as usual. For dry ingredients like cinnamon, sift it into the flour, baking powder and salt. For bulkier items like nuts, toffee or dried fruit, add those items after you add the sugar and before you add the flour mix.

For Lemon Spice Poppy Seed cake, add:

1 T lemon extract
1 T dried orange peel
1 T dried lemon peel
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
3 T poppy seeds

For Chocolate cake:

6 T cocoa (sift with the flour, salt and baking powder).
1 T vanilla extract

For Roasted Pecan cake, add: (can also add the cocoa from above for a chocolate pecan cake)

1 T vanilla extract
2 cups of roasted pecans

For Dried Fruit Cake (highly recommended: dates, cranberries, or cherries)

1 T vanilla extract
2 cups dried fruit

For Praline Poundcake:

1 T vanilla extract
1 cups pecans
1 package Heath toffee bits
1 tsp. Cinnamon

For Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Poundcake:

1 T vanilla extract
I large baked sweet potato or 1 can cooked pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp ginger
1 T dried Lemon peel
1 T dried Orange peel
(optionally add 1 cup raisins)