Sour cream pound cake.

I was doing my weekly roundup of the junk that had collected since the previous weekend: credit card offers, a "new patient special" coupon for a local dentist's office, two copies of the Uncommon Goods catalog (not junk, that place rules), etc etc blah.

Mail just doesn't have the same appeal as it used to.

But every month, in the midst of all those dark, dreary bills and statements, I'm gifted with a shiny new issue of Bon Appetit.

The only downside to subscribing to a food magazine is that the list of recipes you want to make doubles in length after skimming a single issue.  By the time you figure out which ones take precedence, the next issue arrives in your mailbox.

I've decided to make a conscious effort to test at least one new recipe from each issue, starting with this insanely good sour cream pound cake.  Buttery, dense and waaaay better than that Sara Lee chick's.  Nice girl but those double negative jingles had to go.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Recipe by The MidAtlantic Restaurant & Tap Room.

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup sugar

10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise*

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

*I didn't have a vanilla bean on hand so I used the new best and logical substitution:  2 teaspoons of amaretto.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour a metal loaf pan (mine was 8 x 4 inches.)

In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients:  flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, butter and (if using) the seeds of the vanilla bean.

 Beat until light and fluffy.

 Add in the egg, egg white, vanilla and amaretto.
    

Beat for 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened.

Add the sour cream and give it another whirl.

Add in the flour mixture and beat just until it's combined.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan.  Spread it out evenly.

Bake until it passes the toothpick test.  The recipe instructions said to bake the cake for 56-58 minutes but mine took 45 minutes.  So keep an eye on that sucker.

Let it sit on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan to cool completely.

You can whip up a glaze to drizzle over it but I prefer it plain and uncluttered like my mail sorting table.

Nobody doesn't like this pound cake.  Wait, I mean everybody does like this pound cake.  You know what I mean.

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