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Simply Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea" by Martha Hall Foose


Recipe Introduction

"She simply lost her mind. I had simply had enough. It was a simply beautiful wedding. These are a few examples of how my mother can use the word 'simply' in a variety of ways. My mother uses the word more than any person I know. This is what she makes when she simply wants some cake. Mrs. Mildred Nicholas gave my mother this recipe. Mrs. Nicholas had made one for my father just about every time she came to his office for a doctor's visit. When her illnesses seemed to be worsening, she brought my mother the recipe and told her how she knew Michael loved that pound cake, and she would hate for him not to have any once she was gone. It is simply a wonderful pound cake and Mrs. Nicholas was simply a lovely lady."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
â—¦ ½ cup vegetable shortening
â—¦ 3 cups sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 teaspoon lemon extract
â—¦ 1 teaspoon almond extract
â—¦ 5 large eggs
â—¦ 1 cup whole milk


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease and flour a 12-cup (10-inch) tube pan.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In an electric mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add the vanilla, lemon, and almond extracts. Reduce the speed and add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions; do not overmix. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, ending with the milk.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and tap lightly on the counter to level. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

Tip the cake out of the pan and continue to cool completely on the rack.

Makes one 10-inch cake