Shelly's Recipe

POUND CAKE

Category: Cakes

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan.
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup solid shortening, at room temperature
3 cups sugar

Preheat the oven to 300. Generously grease a Bundt pan with butter. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs and the scraped vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the cup of butter, vegetable shortening and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour and milk mixtures to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating between dry and liquid, occasionally scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fill the prepared pan with batter (it should be no more than 2/3 full)

Bake for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 325 and bake an additional 45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and pulls always from the sides of the pan. Remove to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely.

NOTE: This cake will stay moist for up to a week in an air-tight container.