Cream Cheese Pound Cake

We're not exaggerating when we say this is the best pound cake we've ever eaten. We made half a recipe, as we often do, when trying it out. Instead of a normal bundt, we used a vintage tube pan that we think was originally made for jello. But it worked well. And we got the most tender, buttery pound cake. We couldn't stop  eating it! You'll love it, too.

Here is the original Cook's Country recipe, designed to be baked in a 12-cup bundt pan. You can halve the recipe and make it as a loaf. A half recipe in our jello pan took about 55 minutes to bake. The loaf we made later took about 60 minutes. The original bundt size serves 12-14 and will keep at room temperature several days. We won't tell anyone if you eat it for breakfast.
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ingredients & equipment

• 3 cups (12 ounces) cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 24 Tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups (21 ounces) of granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12-cup bundt pan

directions

1. Adjust rack to middle position and set heat to 300F.
2. Grease and flour 12-cup non-stick bundt pan (we used spray with flour).
3. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together eggs, yolks, milk and vanilla. Set both aside.
4. In your stand mixer, fitted with SideSwipe or a flat paddle, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar together on medium to medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.
5. Reduce speed to low and add the egg mixture until incorporated. (Batter may look slightly curdled).
6. Add flour in 3 additions and finish just as the flour looks fully incorporated. It;s better to undermix than overmix for a tender cake.
7. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Gently tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles (we didn't do this, but would have had a more uniform crumb if we had!)
8. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 80-90 minutes. half batches will take about 55-60 minutes. 
9. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely, about 2 hours for a full bundt recipe. Slice and serve. Can be served alone, or topped with berries, sauce or chocolate.
10. Cake can be stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for 3 days. It can also be frozen, well wrapped, for a month.