Honey Vanilla Pound Cake with Raspberries

Another winner from Ina Garten's Back to Basics cookbook. Decadent and delicious, its the perfect compliment to fresh summer berries or sliced peaches with some whipped cream. Ingredients: 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 1/4 cup sugar 4 extra large eggs at room temp (I used 4 large eggs and it came out just fine, 5 might be better)2 tablespoons of honey 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (I used orange) 2 cups of sifted cake flour (all purpose will do) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the middle of oven. I sprayed two medium sized loaf pans with Pam and then cut a piece of parchment to line the bottom of each. I gave it another quick spray of Pam and then dusted the pans with flour, tapping to remove any excess.

Next I creamed the melted butter and sugar together in the standing mixer (paddle attachment, medium speed) for 3-4 minutes until it was lighter yellow in color. In a separate bowl, I combined the eggs, honey, vanilla, and zest- do not mix.

After scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl with a spatula, I turned it to low speed and poured one egg at a time from the bowl. Per Ina's instruction, I let each egg mix in slowly, then I stopped the mixer and scraped down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Lastly I combined the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gave them thorough stir together with a whisk. (This is my method for "sifting" ingredients together.) With the mixer on low speed, I gently poured in the dry mixture and blended until just barely combined. At this point I gently folded in about 3/4 of a cup of frozen raspberries. You could change it up by adding blueberries, chocolate chips or go for enjoy the simple vanilla variety which I will definitely try next time.

I divided the batter between the two loaf pans and baked at 350 degrees for approx 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center came out clean. I actually let mine go a few minutes too long I think- the edges were a little dark. You could make one large pound cake as Ina does (bake time is 55-60 mins) but I like to make two smaller so that I can freeze one for a quick dessert later or share one with a neighbor. (Besides, having a WHOLE pound cake sitting around for just John and I to snack on is dangerous!)

The pound cake was wonderfully moist and delicious all by itself but for dessert that evening I served it with vanilla ice cream and a fantastic quick raspberry sauce. (Also a recipe borrowed from Ina). Raspberry Sauce: 1 generous cup of raspberries (if frozen, thaw in microwave) 3 tablespoons of raspberry jam- I used a seedless black raspberry jam from Smuckers 'Simply Fruit' A small squeeze of lemon juice (maybe a quarter of lemon) 1 teaspoon sugar Blend it all together in the food processor until smooth and refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps several days in the fridge- I like to keep old jam jars around for such occasions.