My ass is on fire.
Not literally on fire, but I had a crazy workout 2 days ago and my backside is still burning. I hobble up the stairs at work. I look like I should be an 80 year old woman with a walker.
The reason I decided to punish myself with exercise is this pound cake. Anything with the word pound in the title is;
a. serious business
b. not going to help my thighs
c. needs to be made
d. FONDUE!
So, I did make it for our fondue this past weekend, pound cake makes an excellent dipper for chocolate fondue as it is sturdy enough to dip in the chocolate and not break apart. Of course I semi-read the recipe, not looking all the way through until I started making it. This recipe makes 2 loaves. I only needed one for fondue. So we currently have a half loaf still sitting on the counter than we've been nibbling at. It is fantastic cake with a dense crumb and rich vanilla flavour so it's not hard to choke down with a cup of tea.
God help my ass.
Cream cheese pound cake
[ from sticky, chewy, messy, gooey ]
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Place rack in the middle of the over and preheat to 325 degrees. Spray two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.
Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. With the mixer still going on medium speed, gradually add sugar and continue beating until pale and fluffy. Beat in salt and vanilla.
Add eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time ensuring each egg is mixed before adding the next. Sift the flour and baking powder into the butter mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold in until there are no traces of flour and batter is smooth.
Divide batter equally between the loaf pans and bake until tops are golden brown and a tester comes out mostly clean, a few crumbs are okay, about 60 - 75 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, turn pans over to remove cakes and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Can be stored at room temperature for 3 days or up to a month in the freezer, if wrapped well in plastic wrap.
