Sour Cream Pound Cake

There’s still enough time to make this cake for tomorrow’s Memorial Day cook-out.  It’s a variation of one that my grandmother would often bake when she knew we would be visiting.  She would make it in a bundt pan.  I can still remember the aroma as we scampered into their home in Jacksonville, Florida.There is plenty of batter that I generally bake it in two loaf pans.  This time, however, I baked one of them in a loaf pan and another in one these paper baking molds.  I’ll be serving it with the Cake Diva’s homemade rhubarb sauce.

3 cups (13 ½ oz / 385 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for dusting pans
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, I used Kalona SuperNatural
3 cups (21 oz / 600 g)granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
Zest of one medium orange
6 lg or 8 med eggs, room temperature
1 cup (8 oz/ 230 g) sour cream, room temperature, I used Kalona SuperNatural

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Cakes can be made in one 16-cup tube pan or two 5-cup loaf pans.  Dust pan(s) with flour, tapping out excess or line with parchment paper, then set aside.

In a medium bowl, using a whisk, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition and scrape down bowl after addition. Stir in extracts and zest.

Mix ½ the sour cream into the batter and stir until combined.  Then add ½ the flour and stir just until combined.  Repeat with the remaining sour cream and end with the remaining flour, mixing each again separately just until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan(s).

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around cake in pan and carefully turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely.

(Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature.)  Cake is better if made a day before serving.

One loaf serves 10-12, or more or less depending on the thickness of the serving.