With Easter around the corner, deciding what to bake for desert can be a difficult decision. I’ve realized over the years that a pound cake is probably your best bet. It’s simple to make, can store for a few days prior to baking and it’s a treat most people can’t resist.
This is a recipe for a special kind of pound cake called the Mockingbird Cake.
There are many great pound cake recipes out there, but I find this one superior for these reasons:
1. You can bake it up to three days ahead. Just wrap and store at room temperature.
2. You can easily double this recipe and make two!
3. Have a loved one in another State? That’s okay because it ships flawlessly.
4. You can add any topping you like. My family is big on chocolate so adding a coating of chocolate cream always makes my family happy.
4. It’s delicious!
Ingredients:
Makes 1 Large Cake
1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 8-ounce package of 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, room temp
3 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 large eggs
4 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C. all purpose flour, sifted. If you would like a healthier alternative, don’t be afraid to use another form of flour such as Spelt or Almond
Directions:
Place butter and cream cheese in a 12-cup Bundt pan. Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Add sugar and salt; beat 10 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Beat in vanilla.
Beat in Flour at low speed until batter is smooth (do not overbeat, it will make the cake TOUGH).
Transfer your batter to the pan.
Place pan in cold oven and then set temperature to 200 degrees (F) and bake for 20 minutes.
Increase temperature to 250 and bake for 20 minutes.
Increase temperature to 275 and bake for 10 minutes.
Increase temperature once more to 300 and bake for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
Turn cake over onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
If you plan on adding a topping, do so after the cake is cooled. You don’t want your topping to melt off the cake! I made two last year and instead of adding anything on top, I presented my cakes with a beautiful ribbon. Don’t be afraid to showcase your work! I like to think of my baking as art.