CAMILLE GLENN'S DELECTABLE
SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs, separated
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or cognac vanilla*

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a heavy 9- or 10-inch tube pan, or two 8-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pans

Combine sifted flour with baking soda and salt, and sift again. Set aside.

Cream softened butter (2 sticks, cut into pieces) and sugar (use just 2 3/4 cups of sugar if cake is to be served with sweet fruit) thoroughly with electric mixer. Add egg yolks, and beat hard until you have fairly smooth mixture. (Mixture will not "ribbon" with just yolks.) Add flour mixture in batches, alternating with sour cream, blending by hand with rubber spatula or whisk. Blend in vanilla or cognac vanilla (see note - 2/3 teaspoon ground mace is another flavoring option).

Beat egg whites until they hold stiff peak but are not dry and grainy. Gently fold them into cake batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s), filling pans not more than 3/4 full.

Bake until cake springs back at once when lightly touched, about 1 hour and 15 to 20 minutes (this will vary with pans used). Cake tester or skewer inserted into cake should come out clean. Remove cake from oven and allow it to rest 5 minutes.

Run thin knife around edges of pan to loosen cake, and unmold it onto rack. Turn cake right-side up to cool. Store in tightly closed plastic or tin box.

*TO MAKE COGNAC VANILLA:
Cut vanilla bean lengthwise and then crosswise into small pieces, thus exposing hundreds of black shiny seeds, source of vanilla flavor. Place pieces in bottle that can be closed airtight. Cover with cognac (or brandy or grain alcohol), 2 1/2 ounces for 1 vanilla bean. Close tightly and store at room temperature. Shake bottle well every few days. It will take 2-3 weeks for the vanilla to reach its maximum flavor. This extract will always have bouquet of cognac or brandy, but vanilla essence comes out in baking.

Servings: 10-15
Source: The Heritage of Southern Cooking: An Inspired Tour of Southern Cuisine Including Regional Specialties, Heirloom Favorites, and Original Dishes by Camille Glenn