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life in the basement has come and gone. we loved living underground, but are excited to practice maintaining a home. join me as i journal chapter two of our life, as we save up, look forward, and plan for a home in the city. as we seek after our great God to glorify Him daily, join in as we figure out what it means to radically pursue Him in "everyday life"

21 June 2011

pound cake & a meal for a friend

every southern girl knows that there are just some things that you must do, such as:
  • waiting to wear white until after easter, and not wearing it after labor day (same with open toe shoes)
  • how to set the table
  • how to make sweet tea
  • of course you must have at least one casserole or salad recipe that you are a master of
  • have your bridesmaids' dresses shoes match the punch at your wedding (mine technically did, since we served coffee in lieu of punch)

and of course, along with that casserole recipe, every southern girl knows that you must take meal when a dear friend (or anyone at the church) has a baby. i blogged a link the other day that someone i dont know posted about taking meals to new moms, and while it was pure coincidence, i used some of that advice today when i took a meal from nathan and i to a couple who had a baby about two weeks ago. kristen & craig welcomed little lincoln in the world (they were also the ones that ash & i made cake pops for) and we were more than excited to celebrate with them. so i spent last night cooking up a storm. in addition to the main topic of the blog for today (pound cake!), i made blueberry muffins, homemade salsa, mimi's rice, broccoli slaw, and packed some sweet potatoes to bake as well as i marinated some chicken to bake/grill, and of course some of our favorite mission brand chips for the salsa. an odd assortment, but i knew they liked the broccoli slaw & salsa, so thats why those got added in. it was of course a much appreciated addition to the fridge, and it was good to check in on kristen & even get to hold little lincoln for a bit. i've never seen a new born look more like their parent than lincoln does of craig! baby & mom are both doing great.

so on to the goods- the pound cake! now, this is truly my moms speciality. there are two smells i strongly associate to growing up- the smell of pot roast (still gets me!) and the smell of freshly baking pound cake. where some of my friends moms baked bread, mine baked pound cake. and i love it. so does pretty much anyone else that eats it. its good fresh out of the oven with strawberries & whipped cream, the next morning for breakfast with coffee, and as a snack any time of day. is it healthy? definitely not. but its good for the soul, i'm convinced!!

i love this recipe because its consistent- just like a box cake mix, you always know what you are going to get. it dense, moist, not too sweet but just a touch, and its got a perfectly crunchy crust. it always rises, always has great color, and always tastes fresh. is your mouth watering yet? it should be!

i'll share the recipe with you, but you have to promise to never bring it to a function that i'm at (or that my moms at) because most likely, we'll be bringing it! i keep it in my awesome recipe book that mom got me when i was a little girl- its one of my favorite things in my kitchen, and i love how vintage it looks


so to get started, here's what you need:
  • a kitchenaid mixer (this is actually quite essential to getting the right consistency)

  • a few ingredients:
    • 2 sticks softened unsalted butter
    • 1 stick crisco (NOT butter flavored)
    • 3 cups white sugar
    • 6 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 cup milk (i always use whole milk
  • a bundt pan with lots of pam

  • an oven (preferably one that maintains temperature a little better than ours!)
so to start, you're going to make sure you butter is soft (but not melted!) and you want to whip it with the crisco


you want it to end up looking like this


next, add in the sugar and beat until fluffy


once fluffy, add in one egg at a time, beating well in between. i use some cage free eggs from a local farmer- they make everything i bake even better! once all the eggs are added, add in the vanilla, and then alternate adding in the flour and milk. once all ingredients are added beat for 2-5 minutes. be sure to scrap the bowl real good! your goodness should end up looking like this:


and yes, it already tastes fantastic!!

get that goodness into your bundt pan, and get it into a cold oven (not sure why, just do it!)


bake at 325 for around an hour and 25 minutes- start watching after an hour, and don't go by the color on top. you'll have to stick a fork or knife in one of the cracks to test for doneness inside. when a knife comes out clean, its time to take out! let cool for about 5 minutes, and then invert onto a pan.


this one ended up a little more done than i would have liked, but i know it will still be good.

enjoy! i hope kristen and craig will!

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