Perfect Pound Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup orange juice or 2/3 cup apricot juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons rum (optional)
• 4 large eggs, separate
• 1/3 cup raisins or 1/3 cup almonds or 1/3 cup any dried fruit

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven at 350°.
• 2 at low speed cream butter, margarine, and sugar during 30 minutes (sound like a lot but trust me -- it's the key to the texture, meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients).
• 3 add the yolks to the mixture one by one, until they are incorporated in the mixture.
• 4 in a separate bowl mix orange juice, vanilla and rum.
• 5 sift flour and baking soda, together.
• 6 alternating add to the mixture the flour and the juice.
• 7 add about a spoonful of flour to the raisins and cut them a bit, this will avoid to have raisins only at the bottom of the cake ;-).
• 8 set aside, and beat the egg whites until they are fluffy but not totally firm.
• 9 with a wooden spoon mix the whites into the mixture.
• 10 pour into the mold (previously greased and floured) and spread it around leaving a small depression in the center, this way when it grows during baking it won't curve up.
• 11 bake for 35 minutes or until it is golden and the cake has separated from the mold.
• 12 enjoy!