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A Southern Staple: Sour Cream Pound Cake with Berry Coulis
Growing up, there were a lot of family cake recipes that were household staples. Pound cake was never one of them. We had it occasionally, but it wasn't a cake that we kept around the house. Until I moved to Texas, I never understood the importance of pound cake.
In the South, pound cake is a big deal. If you're having a baby shower, there will likely be a pound cake on the table. If someone is in the hospital - send them a pound cake! Pound cakes are the ultimate "welcome to the neighborhood" gift for new neighbors. It's a staple at after-church luncheons and they make a great hostess gift for parties. Many pound cake recipes have been passed down throughout generations of Southern women, and each recipe is a little different.
This recipe wasn't passed down to me (our "River Cake" recipe was - but that's for another day!), but it's easily the most delicious, simple pound cake recipe. You can make pound cakes in a loaf pan, but I prefer using a Bundt cake pan.
Ingredients:
1 cup real butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 eggs, room temperature
8 oz sour cream
3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a Bundt pan with butter or a non-stick spray.
2. In a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully blended. Spoon in the sour cream and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to batter slowly, until combined.
5. Mix in vanilla extract and blend until the batter smooth and creamy.
6. Gently pour batter into the greased Bundt pan. Lightly tap the pan on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles in the pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Carefully insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If no crumbs stick to the pick, the cake is done!
8. Let cool on a cooling rack for 20 minutes before inverting the cake onto the rack to cool completely.
9. While the cake is cooling, prepare the Berry Coulis (recipe below).
10. Serve cake while the coulis is still warm, or serve it cool!
Blueberry Coulis
1 pint of blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup water
1. In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Use an immersion blender to mix ingredients together until smooth and lump-free.
3. Drizzle over cake, or set aside to drizzle over each slice.