Colonial Pound Cake

Here's an easy pound cake.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp. mace*
• 5 eggs (large)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. each of vanilla, orange and almond extracts (Optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at the time, mixing really well after each addition in order to obtain the maximum volume of the eggs.

Sift flour with mace and fold into above mixture, mixing well, but do not over beat. It will toughen your cake.

Spoon thick batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, then testing for doneness. It may take longer (an additional 10 minutes or so) for your cake to reach the desired doneness. Check it again after 10 minutes.

When done, remove from oven and allow to cool on in pan on wire rack for about 5-8 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool thoroughly.

You may choose to lightly glaze this pound cake with a mixture of undiluted frozen orange juice and confectioner's sugar. Use about a cup of confectioner's sugar with 2 Tbsp. orange juice. Add more sugar or juice to get desired pouring consistency.

Pound Cakes are the most versatile cake to keep on hand. It can be served with sour cream, whipped cream (flavored or unflavored), ice-cream or fruits (fresh, canned or frozen).

* Lacy aril from outer shell of nutmeg with a milder flavor that adds a yellow-orange hue to food.

By Julia