Hello Chickens! Today we’re in the Cakes chapter of our book. I had planned to make a Coconut Layer Cake; but, Norma is away this week and she love, loves coconut. Since she’s our official taste-tester, we’ll leave the coconut for another week. While I’m waiting for my cake timer to go off, I thought I’d tell you a little bit more about Norma, or at least how she got her name!
We call each other Norma and it has great significance. Last fall, we visited Norma’s wonderful Aunt Jean who is 90 years old and lives in an assisted living facility in Connecticut.
Aunt Jean has the most wonderful sense of humor and is sharp as a tack! She says things like “everyone remain calm, don’t get hysterical” and loves to tease those she cares about the most. Aunt Jean told me about her best friend from high school, Norma. Norma and Jean both worked for an insurance agency in Hartford, fresh out of school.
They had 70+ years of adventures together, taking Sunday drives and exploring every nook and cranny of New England. Norma and Jean were true friends, the kind not everyone is blessed enough to find. Norma passed away three years ago and Aunt Jean misses her every day. She told me about her friendship with Norma and she equated it to my friendship with my “Norma”.
I loved hearing this and it gave me some greater perspective on our friendship and what she means to me and to never, ever take her for granted. So, we call each other Norma now and without saying another word, we know what we mean to one another. Okay, onto our bake …
Today’s recipe is from Juantia Miller of Arnett, Oklahoma.
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Blueberry Sour Cream Pound Cake
6 eggs, separated
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter flavoring*
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1. Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the extracts and butter flavoring*.
5. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition.
6. In another mixing bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold inter batter.
7. Fold in blueberries.
8. Spoon into a greased and floured 10” tube pan.
9. Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
10. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Editor’s note: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.
This cake batter is so buttery and smooth. It’s got a very yellow texture from the egg yolks and just a hint of almond from the extract … I love almond! I took half the cake to my office and it was devoured in no time! Many of my colleagues literally ran into my office to tell me how much they loved the cake. If I could make one recommendation … more blueberries! But the creaminess of the cake (compliments of the sour cream) with the hint of almond made this a real winner for me!
Did you know … that if your cake has a peaked or cracked center, it could mean your batter was overbeaten after the flour was added, causing the gluten in the flour to be developed.
What does Norma say about this pound cake?
A soft, dense pound cake with a lovely slight sugary ‘crisp’ on the outside. Just the right hint of almond and vanilla and don’t even get me started on the blueberries – tender plump and delicious 🙂
You could add an extra half cup of blueberries if you wanted and go for an even bigger berry taste!
TEMPTATION LEVEL out of 10:
You probably don’t have to worry about eating the whole cake in one sitting – it’s pound cake people, you’d explode! But the temptation to go for a second helping? That’s a definite 8 out of 10!
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