Sour Cream Pound Cake

Prep: 15 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 30 min.; Stand: 30 min. To make sweetened whipped cream, beat 1 cup whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

Yield: Makes 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients

• 1  (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 3 1/4  cups  sugar, divided
• 1  cup  shortening or butter
• 6  large eggs
• 3  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  pints fresh strawberries, sliced
• Sweetened whipped cream

Preparation

Stir together 1 container sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; set mixture aside.

Beat 3 cups sugar and 1 cup shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together 3 cups flour and salt. Add to egg mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

Toss together sliced fresh strawberries and remaining 1/4 cup sugar; let stand 30 minutes. Serve pound cake with sliced strawberries and sweetened whipped cream.

Grilled Pound Cake: Bake and cool pound cake as directed. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter evenly over both sides of 6 (1 1/2-inch-thick) pound cake slices. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until lightly toasted. Serve pound cake with sliced fresh strawberries and sweetened whipped cream.