Petunia's Pound Cake

This simple pound cake recipe has been in my family forever. In my much-anticipated book, If I Tell You I Have To Kill You: Whispered Stories and Recipes, it accompanies a short story called “The Coat,” which tells the story of a sweet girl, coping with the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. An excerpt:

The Coat

For Everett Scott

She pulls the soft, black kid leather over hands, adjusts the red wool derby on her head and stifles a sneeze. Even after hanging on the back line all night, it still smells of Youth Dew. So much that Petunia can’t apply the delicate perfume she prefers. She checks her nose in the mirror by the door, steps into the March wind and walks, lively, up Central Avenue. She looks smart and stylish. The sharp, tailored lines of the coat make her feel taller. No longer demure and gentle, she is determined and bold. It sits heavy on her shoulders; oversized, but not ill fitting. The top of its silver fox collar brushing her hat brim. Its sleeves are long enough to almost brush her knuckles and the hem reaches the ankles. The kick pleat slaps her calf with each stride, increasing the bounce in her step.

At the corner she hears service already in progress at Holy Temple. Sister Otey’s tambourine beats a COGIC rhythm Petunia tries to match with Baptist feet. Traffic on busy Liberty Street slows to a crawl. Her destination lies just beyond the elementary school. Passing Santoro’s Store, she waves to a woman at the counter who drops a dozen eggs at the sight of that coat. Petunia keeps walking; on a mission that is not nice and completely out of character.

Petunia’s Lemon Pound Cake

3 sticks of Salted Butter
8 oz Cream Cheese
6 large eggs
3 Cups of All-Purpose flour
3 Cups of sugar
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Lemon Extract

All ingredients must be room temperature.

Put on some Gospel music. This particular cake was made while listening to The Dream by Maurette Brown Clark, but any title and artist will do. If you’re not a fan of gospel, I’ve made some great cakes with Sarah Vaughan too. The idea is to be relaxed and most music soothes. I choose gospel so I praise God for the result before I begin.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour the pan. I use about a ½ tablespoon of butter. Shortening is permissible, but I’m already using ¾ of a pound of butter, why not pinch from what remains of the pound.

Don’t use one of those fancy Bundt pans. A basic 9-inch tube pan will do nicely. No need to head to one of those high-end cookware stores. I have two; a Mirro non-stick and a Wilton loose bottom I don’t particularly like. Both came from a garage sale or second-hand store. Previously used pans are the best!

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. I maintain medium speed on the hand mixer. My dream mixer is the KitchenAid Artisan. If you have one you’re not using or can get me a deal… HOLLA!

Add vanilla and beat well.

Add eggs, beating well after each addition until there are no traces of yolk. By the last egg it should be silky-smooth.

Add cream cheese and beat again until smooth.

Mix in lemon extract. You can also fold in the zest of a lemon, but I’m usually not in the mood to zest a lemon so I take the short cut and get to the same place in less time.

Add flour, beating well after each cup.

Pour/scrape into prepared pan. The batter is thick and there will be some left on the bowl and beaters. Feel free to taste, but remember the raw egg. Sam and Ella are dropping on folks without notice. Don’t put out a welcome mat.

Bake for 90 minutes or until you like the color.

Cool on rack for 15 minutes. It can also be left on the stovetop if you don’t have all the fancy tools. I use something I picked up at an estate sale.

Cool completely before cutting. The crust will be better.