Half A Pound

It's time for more cake, this time brought to you by the Cake Slice Bakers! I missed last month's cake because I just plain forgot about it until it was too late and I was already baking a triple layer 70th birthday cake. I didn't want the other cake to go to waste and I knew we wouldn't eat it so it didn't get made. However, I was not going to miss out on this cake though because it got rave reviews from all the other bakers and because it's a style of cake I've never made before- a Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It did not disappoint.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe to suit my tastes. Firstly, I halved the recipe because I was warned by more than one person that it made a ton of batter. The half recipe still made a substantial amount of cake, but I shared with neighbors so it was more than okay. The second thing I changed was to omit the freshly grated ginger, because I'm not a big fan, but I left the full amount of lemon zest in the recipe. And because they're pretty, I added a handful of fresh blueberries and raspberries to the batter. I have both recipes for you down below, so you can make the pound cake of your choice. Whether you half the recipe or make the full amount, be sure your pan is big enough to accommodate all the batter or divide it up into smaller pans, so you don't have overflow.

I made two smaller Bundts as well as a 4-inch round cake. One Bundt had blueberries, the other had raspberries and the smaller cake that we didn't share enjoyed at home had both berries incorporated throughout. They were buttery and moist, tender yet firm cakes. The cream cheese adds a smooth, creamy richness to the batter that the author describes as "velvety". And another unique thing about this recipe is that it starts off baking in a cold oven, hence the title of the recipe. Those few extra minutes allow the cake time to rise as it develops a lovely golden crust. Speaking of lovely, this would make the perfect dessert this Easter Sunday- top it off with lightly sweetened whipped cream to make it even better. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Berries adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65-80 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

P.S. I'm 18 weeks pregnant today! I'm more pregnant than I've ever been and it feels awesome!