Sour Cream Pound Cake

 This cake is great topped with berries, lemon curd, whipped cream, or a combination of the three.  I even love it plain.  The recipe fills a 10-inch bundt pan, but you could easily halve it and use a loaf pan.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and place in bowl of standing mixer; let stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes to soften slightly. Using dinner fork, beat eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in liquid measuring cup until combined. Let egg mixture stand at room temperature until ready to use.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter a 10-inch bundt pan; dust pan liberally with flour and knock out excess.
3. Sift flour and baking soda together in small bowl.
4. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and salt at medium-high speed (Kitchen Aid mixer: #4) until shiny, smooth, and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, gradually pour in sugar (this should take about 60 seconds). Once all sugar is added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white in color, 5 to 8 minutes, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once. With mixer running at medium speed, gradually add egg mixture in slow, steady stream; this should take 60 to 90 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl; beat mixture at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes (mixture may look slightly broken). Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides.
5. In 3 additions, sift flour mixture over butter/egg mixture; after each addition, fold gently with rubber spatula until combined.
6. Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until golden brown and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 60 to 700 minutes (internal temperature: 212 F). Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes; invert cake onto wire rack, then turn cake right side up. Cool cake on rack to room temperature. Slice and serve.

16 large or 24 medium servings

Make ahead: Once cake completely cooled, wrap in cling wrap, then heavy foil.  Freeze.  To thaw, place wrapped cake at room temperature 10 hours before needed.

Source: adapted from Paula’s Home Cooking and Cooks Illustrated