Pound cake

This is our ALL TIME favorite!!  The basic recipe makes delicious (NOT dry all all!) cake.  You can make a few adjustments & have delicious variations.

Preheat oven:  300*
Grease and flour (I even line mine with parchment first) loaf pans.  This recipe makes 2 standard sized loaves or 4 smaller ones.

Cream well with a mixer on medium speed:

3 sticks (1-1/2 C) softened butter
8 oz package of softened cream cheese (lite or regular)
3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Slowly add:
6 eggs  ( 1 at a time, beating & scraping the bowl after each addition)

Lower the speed on the mixer and add:
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups flour

At this point, you can add mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut, chopped nuts... whatever...  I like to add a T of fresh lemon juice instead of vanilla and add an addition 1-2 T grated lemon zest for a delicious lemony result!  (For chocolate pound cake, mix 6 T cocoa with 2 T vegetable oil and stir to make a paste - add with the butter and sugar)

Spoon the batter (2/3 of the way up to the top of the pan) into the prepared pans.

Standard sized loaf pans:  70+ minutes
Smaller loaf pans:  60-70 minutes

Test center of cake with toothpick to make sure it's done before removing from oven.

Cool on racks 15 minutes before removing from pans.
Dust with powdered sugar or apply frosting.

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

This cake is moist & luscious and SOOOOOO worth making!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees - spray an aluminum tube pan with non-stick spray

In a large mixing bowl, cream with mixer for 5 minutes on med. speed:

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter

2 cups sugar

4 oz. softened cream cheese

1 teasp vanilla

Add 3 large eggs plus 1 extra egg white; beat 1 minute after each addition.

Set this bowl aside.

Measure 3 cups flour - take 1 Tblsp. flour from the measuring cup and sprinkle it over a pint of fresh (or 2 cups frozen/thawed/dried off) blueberries & gently mix to coat. Set the berries aside.

Put the remaining flour in a mixing bowl - to the flour, add & stir together with spoon:

1 teasp. baking powder

1/2 teasp. baking soda

Add HALF the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix well on low speed - add 8 oz. of lemon yogurt - mix it until thoroughly incorporated & then slowly add the rest of the flour. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. bake for 60-70 minutes. (Test cake with toothpick after an hour - it may or may not need more time to bake.)

Let cake rest in pan for 15 minutes and then carefully remove it to a serving plate.

Mix ingredients for icing - spread over cake while it's still a bit warm:

2 tblsp. soft butter

3 cups powdered sugar

2 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice

Mix everything well - add more lemon juice as needed to make a not-too-runny topping.

If you like lemon overload, grate some fresh lemon zest onto the icing!