festive pound cake

By momofsixplus1

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons(2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

Step 1

preheat oven to 325. grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

put the butter and all but about 1/2 cup of the confectioners sugar in a large bowl. add the vanilla, set aside.

crack open each egg, letting the whites drop in to a deep, narrow bowl or electric mixer bowl. put the yolks in a separate small dish.

beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed, until soft peaks fold over when the beater is lifted. sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 confectioners sugar and beat until the beaters leave a trail in the mixture

without washing the beaters, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. slip in the yolks, one at a time, beating briefly after each. beat in the baking powder and scrape the sides of the bowl.

with mixer on low, add the flour and beat until almost incorporated. scrape the sides of the bowl. add a big spoon full of the egg whites and beat it in to lighten the mixture. add the remaining egg whites and fold in with a rubber spatula, just until incorporated.

scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the surface. draw the handle of a rubber spatula once lengthwise through the batter,, about 1/2-inch deep(this will bake into an attractive split)

bake until the top is a light golden brown about 1 hour and 15 minutes. cool the cake about 30 minutes.

***the cake will have a creamy, moist center and a crusty, slightly sunken top