Dear Dianne,

Here is a delicious recipe for Southern Pound Cake that you will like.

Some useful tips for making pound cake, or any cake for that matter are:

1. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. I usually put the eggs, milk or buttermilk, vanilla and any other item I keep in the fridge out for 1 hour before using in the recipe.

2. Make sure you cream the butter and sugar until it is fluffy, usually about 5 minutes. This ensures that the sugar is well incorporated with the butter and not grainy.

3. Make sure you measure correctly; level off the flour and all other dry ingredients with a knife. When baking, it is important to have the correct amounts.

4. Make sure the oven is pre-heated when called for.

5. Grease and flour your baking pan.

6. Usually when a pound cake is gooey in the middle it means that the ingredients used were not at room temperature and it met with the heat of the oven for incorrect baking temperature in the middle.

7. Bake with love and it will come out in the end product!

Follow these simple rules and you will have success with that elusive pound cake!

Good Luck and let us know the results! Gina

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CLASSIC SOUTHERN POUND CAKE
(This is great served with strawberry sauce)

1 1/2 cup butter softened at room temperature
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10 inch tube pan.

Beat butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, creaming well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lemon extract, juice and rind. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir thoroughly after each addition. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; about 70 to 80 minutes. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan.

Yields 1 cake