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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Sweet Treats Saturday: Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I've been on a chocolate and toffee kick recently and decided to mix it up a little with some pound cake.  I needed something to donate to my dance school's bake sale and thought this would be a nice treat that wouldn't be too sweet or messy.


I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen where they paired it with a strawberry coulis.  I omitted that step and stuck with the cake itself.


The cream cheese was a nice addition to this pound cake and gave it a flavor that differentiated it from the store bought kind.  I also loved the use of almond extract.


I baked this in a bundt pan where the top came out so delicious and almost caramelized from the sugar.  It was a great contrast to eat a slice with the soft top but crispy, sugar base.  I made sure to wrap this up tightly so dryness was never an issue.  I think this would be terrific with some fresh strawberries and whipped cream or made into a trifle.  Mmmmm...


Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Go to Smitten Kitchen for more details and their recommendations on variations.


1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) Philadelphia brand cream cheese*, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract plus 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 10-inch tube pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternately, you can use a 12-cup bundt pan, and simply butter and flour it.
2. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, at least five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla, almond, then the flour and salt all at once. Beat just until incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 1 1/4 hours.
4. Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

1 comment:

  1. Looks and sounds yummy..thanks for sharing the recipe. Also, you did a great job with your plaid dress...you matched up the pattern wonderfully!

    ReplyDelete

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