Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Stephanie Williams Dean

Bless Your Spoon

 

Last week I shared several recipes for plain pound cake while today’s selections include additional ingredients for a variety of flavors. While this simple, sweet cake is one of few cakes good enough to eat plain – one bite’s made better by adding your favorite ingredients.

Top your cake with a thin sweet glaze, luscious frosting, or flavored topping, and you have a truly decadent and delicious dessert.

You’ll hear no complaints about the added or “plus” pounds, either.

ITALIAN CREAM POUND CAKE

1 stick softened butter

1 cup Crisco shortening

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup whole milk

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup flaked coconut

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixer bowl, cream margarine and Crisco with sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition. Add flour and salt while alternating with milk. Mix well. Fold in nuts and coconut. Mix well. Fold in vanilla and mix well. Bake in well-greased and floured tube pan in a 300-degree oven for 2 hours. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Frosting

4 oz. softened cream cheese

¼ cup Crisco shortening

½ box confectioners sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, shortening, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix until creamy and smooth, adding milk if too thick to spread easily.

CARAMEL NUT POUND CAKE

1 cup softened, salted butter

1 cup sugar

1 lb. light brown sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 cup whole milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Powdered sugar

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour, baking powder, and salt while alternating with milk and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in pecans. Mix well. Bake in a well-greased and floured 9-inch tube pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

APRICOT BRANDY POUND CAKE

1 cup softened, salted butter

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

8 oz. sour cream

½ cup apricot brandy

1 tsp. orange extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. lemon extract

½ tsp. rum extract

¼ tsp almond extract

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, soda, and salt while alternating with sour cream, brandy, and extracts. Bake in a well-greased and floured 10-inch tube pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

EAT A PEACH POUND CAKE

3 beaten eggs

2 cups sugar

3 cups self-rising flour

1½ cups cooking oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups peeled, diced, in-season peaches

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

In a mixer bowl, beat eggs and add sugar. Mix well. Add flour while alternating with oil and vanilla. Fold in peaches, coconut, and nuts. Mix well. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Frosting

3 oz. softened cream cheese

1 pureed peach

1 ½ cup confectioner sugar

Combine softened cream cheese, 6 tsp. peach puree, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Spread over top of cake.

COME TO THE TABLE POUND CAKE

1 cup softened, salted butter

1½ cups sugar

4 beaten eggs

2 Tbsp. instant coffee

¼ cup water

6 oz. butterscotch morsels

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. soda

¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup fresh buttermilk

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a saucepan, dissolve coffee in boiling water. Add butterscotch morsels and heat until melted. Blend butterscotch mixture into butter mixture. Add flour, soda, and salt while alternating with buttermilk. Mix well. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan in a 350-degree oven for 55-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

DATE NUT ORANGE POUND CAKE

1 cup softened, salted butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. soda

1½ cups buttermilk

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp. orange rind

Glaze

2 cups sugar

1 cup fresh orange juice

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Add flour while alternating with buttermilk mixture. Fold in dates, pecans, and orange rind. Mix well. Bake in a well-greased and floured tube pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour. While warm, punch holes in hot cake and pour juice mixture over the top.

MARBLED CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

½ lb. softened, salted butter

½ cup Crisco shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk

2 oz. melted semi-sweet chocolate

2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixer bowl, cream butter, Crisco, and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly beating after each addition. Add flour, salt, and baking soda while alternating with milk and vanilla. Mix well. With a spatula, swirl melted chocolate into the batter. Bake in a well-greased and floured tube pan starting with a cold oven, in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

GRAHAM CRACKER POUND CAKE

½ cup softened, salted butter

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 box graham cracker crumbs

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk

1 cup chopped pecans

Topping

2 cups sugar

½ cup whipping cream

8 oz. melted marshmallows

1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add graham cracker crumbs and baking powder while alternating with milk. Mix well. Fold in chopped pecans. Mix well. Bake in a well-greased and floured tube pan in a 375-degree oven for 40 minutes. For topping, in a saucepan, add sugar, cream, and marshmallows. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and marshmallows are melted.  Fold in nuts. Spread over top of cake.

SWEET POTATO POUND CAKE

1 stick softened, salted butter

1 ¼ cup sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ cup cake flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup room temp sour cream

8 oz. peeled, cooked, pureed sweet potatoes

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon while alternating with sour cream. Mix well. Fold in sweet potatoes. Mix well. Bake in a well-greased and floured tube pan in a 300-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

COCONUT POUND CAKE

2 sticks softened, salted butter

½ cup Crisco shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp. rum extract

1 tsp. coconut extract

Glaze

1/cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

In a mixer bowl, cream butter, and Crisco. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add flour, salt, and baking soda while alternating with milk and extracts. Mix well.  Bake in a well-greased and floured tube pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 ½ hours.  Prepare glaze while baking.  For the glaze, in a saucepan, dissolve sugar in water and add extract. Bring to a boil for 1 minute.  While cake is still hot, make holes in top and brush glaze on sides and bottom of cake.

SPRING CITRUS POUND CAKE

3 sticks softened salted butter

2 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. hot water

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. grated orange peel

2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel

Glaze

1 juiced and grated orange

2 juiced and grated lemons

1 ½ cups sugar

In a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Dissolve soda in water.  Add flour while alternating with soda water, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in grated rind of orange and lemons. Mix well. Bake in a well-greased and buttered tube pan in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour or until done. For the glaze, in a saucepan, combine both juice and rinds of orange and lemons with sugar, allowing sugar to dissolve.  Heat to boiling for 3 minutes. While cake is hot, punch holes in top. Drizzle glaze over cake.