Pound Cakes

Pound cakes

Both of these pound cake recipes were shared by my mother-in-law, Helene. They were family recipes from her mother. They are heavy on the egg use, but OH so good. I didn’t put raisins in mine, because they are not a favorite of mine.

Tangerine Buttermilk Pound Cake

Peel from 3 tangerines grated or finely chopped in a blender

1 cup sugar

1 cup soft butter

5 eggs, at room temperature

2½ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ cup buttermilk

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add tangerine peel, blend. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Into another bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk. Divide batter between two buttered and floured 7½x3½x2½ pans. Bake in preheated 350º oven for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before turning them out on cooling racks.

Mother Gosling’s Pound Cake

1 cup soft butter

5 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp lemon extract

2 cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½-1 cup raisins (optional)

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add lemon extract. Sift together, in separate bowl, flour and baking powder. Add all at once to the fist mixture and beat only until smooth. Fold raisins at this time. Pour into 9x5x3 inch pan that has been greased and floured.

Bake in a slow oven (300º-325º) for 75-90 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan then turn onto cooling racks. Makes 2 cakes.

— Barbara Rexford