Grandpa’s Favorite Pound Cake

I lost my first two grandparents ever in 2016. One from each side. I recognize that this is pretty great for being 32 years old, but after so long, I got to the point where I just thought it would never happen to me.

Both grandparents lived a long and happy life, and left us with tons of happy memories to cherish for many more years. Memere was the grandmother that Aimee and I shared from our dad’s side, and she passed away this week last January. She and Pepere used to travel across the country from North Carolina to see us every year. They’d sleep in the camper shell on top of their pick up truck, even when that truck was parked in our driveway for the summer. The original #vanlife?

My grandfather on my mom’s side passed away last month. He was known for seeing the most pleasant side of all things, and his puns. Every time I visited my grandparents growing up, there would be a Costco-sized tub of sour cream waiting for me to turn it into as many pound cakes as it would make. I just used Nana’s recipe, but somehow Grandpa would convince me that I made it best.

My parents came to visit me for Christmas, and my mom brought with her a pound cake. We took it with us cross-country skiing last week. It’s really the perfect snack for a day in the snow. It is tough enough to pack well, and goes great with a warm drink. It is by no means a low-calorie food, so an active day outside is a good time to consider it truly justified.

Nana's Pound Cake

Yield

1 bundt cake

Prep Time / Cook Time

15 minutes / 1.5 hours

Activity Guide

Day Trip, Picnic

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract

Tools

• Large bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Mixer
• Bundt pan
• Sifter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.
5. While mixing, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Then add about 1/3 of the sour cream. Alternate between these two until the whole amount of both is mixed in.
6. Add the extracts and mix to combine.
7. Pour the mixture into the greased and floured bundt pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours, or until a butter knife comes out of the cake clean.
8. Cool for 15 minutes, and then remove from the pan.
9. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.