i'm an award winning baker!!!

i learned from the food network that the name "pound cake" came from the ingredients. this cake originally called for a pound of butter, a pound of flour and a pound of sugar. my mom's recipe is top secret so my lips are sealed. she has been making this pound cake for a loooong time. so i can't take credit for it - i'm just lucky she passed it on to me! i entered it in the california state fair when i was in middle school...and i won first place! i forgot about it until my dad reminded me - he even found the ribbon. it's wrinkled but i had to show you what i won. :o)

i would say this pound cake is one of my mom's specialties....and one of my dad's favorites. i bet she bakes a pound cake once a week. she's also figured out how to alter the recipe to make a cake that's lower in fat. she used to send this cake to family members in st. louis and chicago by request. aunt gert (who was in her 90's at the time) actually talked my mom into giving her the recipe. she passed away a few years ago so now my mom and i are the only people who know this recipe - and we even have it memorized.


this is one of those treasured family recipes ya'll.

it's pretty easy to put together...but also kind of temperamental. beat it too long and the result is too fluffy. too short and it's dense and lacking in flavor (because the flavorings aren't evenly dispersed). there are several important steps even after the cake is out of the oven. i can't go into detail but i can describe the taste experience: crunchy crust, buttery...perfectly centered between sturdy and tender. there's also a delicious, slightly gooey (purposely undercooked) layer that i leave for the very last bite.

**sigh**