Sour Cream Pound Cake

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 Ingredients 

• 3 cups of flour 
• 2 ½ cups of granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• ¼ teaspoon of salt 
• 3 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature) 
• 5 eggs (room temperature) 
• 8oz sour cream (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 

Optional:

• 1 teaspoon of butter extract 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325° F
2. Prepare baking dish (I used a 12 cup bundt pan) by either greasing with butter and dusting with flour OR using a baking spray such as Baker's Joy or Pam Happy Baking.
3. Using either an electric stand mixer or hand mixer (this can be done manually without an electric mixer though it will be more work) cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Remember to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. If using an electric mixer, use the low to medium speed setting.
4. Mix in extracts
5. Carefully mix in the eggs one at a time until fully combined
6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt
7. Beginning with the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt), alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream in small portions. Remember to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl every so often. Mix the batter until just combined. If you overmix the batter, you risk compromising the texture of the cake.
8. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Give the baking dish a few pats on the bottom and a gentle shake in order to release any air pockets that may have formed
9. Place in the oven and bake for 70-90 minutes depending on your oven and altitude. Try not to open the oven until the cake has been baking for at least one hour and five minutes. 
10. Once the cake has finished baking, poke the cake with a clean toothpick for doneness. If there is batter on the toothpick when you remove it, the cake needs to bake a little longer. If there is no batter on the toothpick, the cake is done. I have also used a clean butter knife to accomplish this. TIP: You can also give the pan a little shake to see if the cake jiggles. Pound cakes are usually dense, so if it is fully cooked, then it will not jiggle. 
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove from the pan. 

Notes

This is a great snacking cake. The crust is nice and has a good crunch, while the inside is very soft. I chose not to add any glaze or frosting to this cake, but it pairs well with almost any flavor glaze, whipped cream, or fruit. You can also have it plain with a cup of tea or coffee to drink with it. 

Most pound cake recipes require a lot of sugar, sometimes 3 cups. This one uses 2 1/2 cups. I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar because based on personal experience, reducing the amount of sugar changes the chemistry of this recipe. The cake will become too dense, heavy, and dry. I have not attempted this with a sugar substitute, so I don't know how it would turn out. However, if you'd like to use less sugar and keep all the ingredients the same, I'd recommend adding an extra egg and perhaps another stick of butter to make up for the sugar.