Pound Cake

[Patrushka]

Here is the recipe I found online:

Pound Cake

This is the REAL McCOY!

4 cups cake flour, sifted before measuring (1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups butter (1 pound)
2 cups granulated sugar (1 pound)
10 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract, vanilla extract or brandy

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease well and flour a tube cake pan.

Sift flour and salt together. Place butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add whole eggs, one at a time. Beat thoroughly between each addition of the eggs. If an electric mixer is used, do not stop mixer while adding eggs. Add half the sifted flour and salt. Beat about 1 minute. Add remaining flour-salt mixture and flavorings. Beat about 1 minute. Use rubber spatula to collect all flour from sides of mixing bowl. Pour into prepared tube cake pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking for doneness periodically. Remove from pan immediately after removing from oven. Cool on a cake rack.

Just for comparison, here is DH's Grandma's:

1/2 lb. butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
almond flavor

Here is an interesting article I found while searching for a recipe similar to mine.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/PoundCake.html

[thy]

Good old reciepies
And if I am going to make a traditional cake,,, I am not a cake baker often I use a recepie just updated a bit, but still the one my grandmother used

One pund soft butter or margarine.. I prefere the taste of margarine stirred white with one pound of white sugar
Add 4 to 6 eggs(size), stir a bit , and add a pound of flour with a teaspoon of baking powder
Then you can add the extras
Chopped nuts and chopped good (70-80% )chocolate
Pieces of apples and cinamom
Cokolate powder in te half of it for a tiger cake..stir gently a few times to mix the layers

Here is my family secret - used for years .... Cookies
Use the same recipie (exept the baking powder)..add a half pond of big parts chopped almonds, Peeled
Use 2 teaspoons to place the cookies on baking paper ..good heat.. have to be light brown on the edges.

They are one of 3 of our untradional favorite Christmas cookies... the ones we love to do every year

[party_music50]

The recipes look good.

thy, that's a very interesting variation to make them into cookies. They must have a soft (cake-like) texture. Do you think that sliced almonds would work as a substitute for chopped ones? I always have sliced almonds on hand. I make several "favorite cookies" and sweets at xmas-time, and these would be something different to add.

[thy]

For my special Christmas ones.. No.. the pieces have to be known.. you have to feel you chev them

Think it depend on the temperature in the oven here 180 C is average for cakes and 220 C is for cookies

But why not try them before X-mas ... use 2 teaspoons and let them bake to they are golden in the edges
Do not close/ put a solid lid on the box before several hours.. or they will be soft only... crispy in the edges and sort of soft in the middle is optional here.
Do not do them too big and do not place them to close on the baking ????? thingy .. they need space
use baking paper and after they are finished..wait one minute..and remove them to an..... ???? I have no idea... the open wired thing you have in the oven--- just a sort of gitter... cool well I have said that I know
And let me know..somehow even they are made all my life, they are never exactly the same

[party_music50]

Thank you for all the information, thy. I'll have to buy some whole almonds to make them. My mind turns to cooking and baking at this time of year, and for baking that would especially mean apple, cranberry, and pumpkin desserts now. In the past few weeks I've made cranberry & white chocolate chunk cookies, apple pie, pumpkin bread w/ dates & nuts, apple crisp, and apple streudel to name some. I always 'bulk up' to keep warm in the winter. lol! (my winter weight is 5lbs heavier than my summer weight).

[Epona]

The recipe is delicious. I used vanilla extract because that's what I had on hand.
I'll experiment with it the next time I make it. Just had to taste it first.