Pound Cake, Berries, and Cream

One of the greatest pleasures of summertime is the abundance of color on the table. Berries and melons and leafy greens are in season, making it more reasonable than ever to feast on whole foods with economy. Although all of our children help in the kitchen, Olive and Burke seem to come alive creatively there––chopping, stirring, tasting. Burke received several baking tools this spring for his birthday, and he’s planning to put them to use this summer, baking something new each week for us to try.

This week, in honor of inexpensive berries and a long holiday weekend, he made homemade pound cake with berries and cream. So many of you requested the recipe, I thought I’d quickly drop it here before the long weekend ends. We doubled the recipe to make two loaf pans. If you have leftovers, store it in the fridge in a sealed container and enjoy it for breakfast. Wink.

POUND CAKE with BERRIES and CREAM, adapted from The Hands-On Home

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup soft butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp half & half (or heavy cream)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 300F degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together.
3. In a second bowl (we used our mixing stand), whip the butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until the batter is fluffy again. Add one egg at a time until the texture is like frosting. At a low speed, mix in the yogurt, half&half, and extract.
4. Gently mix in the flour.
5. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and place on the center rack of the oven.
6. Bake until it is golden brown and the knife comes out clean, about 90 minutes or longer, depending on elevation and oven. Let it cool for 20-30 minutes.
7. Wash and slice berries. If they’re tart, sprinkle them with sugar. I prefer the tartness, especially with the sweet, rich cake.
8. Whip the cream until peaks form. If you prefer sweet cream, add a Tablespoon or two of sugar, or even a little vanilla extract.
9. Serve and enjoy!