Welcome to week three of bake along! We love seeing all of the wonderful cakes and stack pies y’all have made. No Southern repertoire would be complete without a pound cake recipe. This recipe draws on a traditional sponge technique: using egg whites as rising agents. Don’t skimp on beating those whites into peaks; they need to be nice and tall to be strong enough to hold up this thick batter. Fold about 1/4 of your whites in at a time. This will help thin out the batter and keep the whites from deflating! We split our batter in half and added a few tablespoons of cocoa, then layered it in a tin. For a little extra flavor, we dotted the top with espresso chocolate chips (yes, these really exist!!) and served it up with a healthy scoop of mocha ice cream. What’s your favorite way to serve pound cake? Don’t forget to share your photo below or tag #FoxfireBakeAlong on social media.

Old Dominion Pound Cake

Recipe from Mary Pitts, The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups butter
• 2 1/4 tsps vanilla (or other flavoring)
• 2 Tbsps lemon juice (optional)
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Sift together flour, baking powder, and 1 1/4 cup sugar. Cream butter and blend in vanilla and lemon juice. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually blend in flour mixture. Beat egg whites until peaks form and add salt; then gradually add 1 cup sugar with cream of tartar, beating well after each addition. Beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold whites into batter. Turn into a greased and floured tube pan. Cut through batter one or two times, then bake 1 hour 20 minutes in a 325 degrees Fahrenheit oven.