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Buttermilk Pound Cake

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Living Party Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"The first step is the most crucial part of this recipe. You must make sure the butter, shortening, and sugar are well creamed and as fluffy as a cloud. Start the mixture in a stand mixer, and then eat a bowl of cereal, fold a load of laundry, or feed the dog. You have plenty of time. Then, and only then, move on to the next step. Your pound cake's life depends on it."

List of Ingredients

◦  ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
◦  ½ cup shortening
◦  3 cups granulated sugar
◦  5 large eggs
◦  2 tsp vanilla extract
◦  3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
◦  ½ tsp baking soda
◦  ½ tsp salt
◦  1 cup whole buttermilk


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

Beat the butter, shortening, and sugar with a stand mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour into two greased and floured 8-inch square pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes, testing for doneness after 35 minutes.

Cool in the pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pans; remove the cake from the pans, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch cubes.


Serves 32


Note:
For a traditional pound cake, bake in a 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 300° F for 1½ hours, testing for doneness after 1 hour and 20 minutes.