Perfect Pound Cake

I made this lemony pound cake with a strawberry compote for my new boss as it was said to be her favorite. I found the recipe off the Pioneer Woman's website, such a tried and true source! And truly, this was probably the best pound cake ever. My favorite part was the perfectly crusty top. The strawberry mix I made up as I went, but below are the approximate measurements. And I forgot to add the Cool Whip for the picture, but don't forget it!!! It's a must!


Perfect Pound Cake

• 3 sticks Butter
• 3 cups Sugar
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Butter Flavoring
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Flavoring
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Sprite, 7-UP, Or Sierra Mist

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly.

Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.

Remove cake from oven and invert pan until cake drops out.

Strawberry compote:
2 bags of frozen strawberries (as they weren't in season; about 3 or 4 cups each?)
1/2 cup water
scoop of sugar (about 1/4 c or to taste)
1 tsp almond extract

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and allow to simmer. You want the strawberries to break down a bit and meld with all the flavors. After about 15 minutes, if the mixture is still too watery, add a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it up. When adding cornstarch, you don't want to add it directly because it will clump. I usually take a few Tablespoons of the liquid out of the pan and mix it with the cornstarch in a ramekin until well blended and all lumps are out. Return to the pan and allow to simmer a couple minutes and thicken up.

Serve pound cake sliced with strawberries and Cool Whip.