Smoothest Southern Pound Cake
1 cup butter softened
3 cups sugar
3 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
6 large eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer about 2 minutes or until creamy. ( Not a handheld one ) Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed 5 to 7 minutes. Combine cake flour and baking soda and add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Batter will be extremely thick.
Separate eggs; add yolks to batter and mix well. Stir in sour cream and vanilla.
Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter.
Spoon into a greased and floured 12 cup bundt pan (or a 10 inch tube pan) Bake at 300 degrees fr 2 hours or until
a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (you may also spoon batter into 2 9 inch loaf pans and bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.) Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
STANDARD mixing method:
If you are using a standard mixer or prefer a conventional pound cake method this is the procedure Southern Living
suggests...
Beat butter at med. speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat for 7 minutes. Add
egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears.
Combine flour and soda and add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream; beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at lowest speed just until mixture is blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and bake as stated above.