Sisterhood Of The Traveling Cake

 

Things around here will be different for a while. Baby Sister and her family will be staying here at the farm for much of the summer. Our days will be more devoted to play than other things.

And that is just fine with us! It's been a long time since there has been a rock collection (completely made of gravel) that has had an important place in this house.

And in the mornings, we now must be careful and watch where we step. 

But in the days just before my trip out to visit in the midwest, I made a pound cake that was requested by Jessica. I put it in the freezer until I got back. Then I delivered it to her in Atlanta, the day before Baby Sister and family arrived at the farm. The cake was for a special Memorial Day weekend in Alabama. That cake traveled through three states before it was cut!

Yesterday I got the photo and this message. So glad the cake made it to its destination and they enjoyed it. After all of the traveling, I was keeping my fingers crossed that they liked this high mileage cake.

Here is the recipe. It is the one that my Aunt Betty made for years for all of our family gatherings. She's been gone for many years now, but I think about her and smile every time I bake this cake. I love recipes that are so filled with memories.

 CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks), softened

1/2 cup Crisco shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cocoa 

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar and cream together well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg. Put flour into a bowl and add baking powder and salt. Sift the cocoa into the flour mixture and whisk all of these dry ingredients together. (Or sift all of the dry ingredients together.)

Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to butter/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Add vanilla.

Bake in a greased and floured tube pan for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out.