Recipe Box - Cream Cheese Pound Cake (for Strawberry Shortcake)

Every year when local strawberries begin to ripen, I know it's time to do two things: make freezer jam (which is used for many of my kids' lunches throughout the year, because they're always happy to eat bread and strawberry jam!) and make a shortcake.

I used to use a recipe for shortcake that was passed down by my mom; and for sentimental reasons, I still like it.  Rather than being a sweet cake, it's more of a biscuit-type thing; and we would cut a square of that, put it in the bottom of a bowl, cover it completely with cut strawberries, then pour milk(!) over the whole thing and eat it that way.  The country way.  ;-)

Some years ago, however, while reading a blog (which is no longer accessible to the public, so that's why I'm not linking to it...in case you were wondering) ;-) by a lovely, talented young woman named Meredith, I discovered a new shortcake recipe; and since it looked so easy to make and used such simple, on-hand ingredients, I decided to give it a try.

I was immediately won over--and not just me, but the rest of the family, too!  This shortcake is GOOD!  So good, in fact, that I highly doubt I'll ever make any other kind.  :)

 What You Need

1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 and 1/2 cups butter
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What You Do

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.  In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs two at a time, beating well with each addition.  Add the flour all at once and mix in.  Add vanilla.  Pour into tube pan.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking for doneness beginning at 1 hour.  A toothpick inserted into center of cake will come out clean.

See?  Isn't that easy?  Easy, but absolutely scrumptious.  Heap it high with gorgeous, juicy strawberries; add a dollop of freshly whipped cream; and you've got a dessert fit for a king!

(Or for anyone else who happens to be eating around your dinner table, if full-fledged royalty happens to be in short supply...)  ;-)