Another recipe from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum.  This pound cake is great with a fine, even crumb and lovely buttery texture.  Due to the amount of butter, don't serve it chilled (it will be hard and dumb).  At room temperature or toasted, it will melt in your mouth.

This recipe makes enough batter for 1 10" tube pan.

3 oz. milk
10.5 oz. whole eggs
12 g. vanilla
10.5 oz. sifted cake flour
10.5 oz. sugar
5 g. baking powder
5 g. salt
13.5 oz. unsalted butter, softened

Spray a 10" tube pan with pan spray.  Cut a parchment donut to fit in the bottom of the pan.  Spray again with pan spray. (This recipe works just fine in loaf pans, too. If you don't own a tube pan, don't worry--make it anyway).

This cake is made using the Two-Stage Mixing Method.

Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a bowl.  Whisk lightly to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Mix on low to combine.  Add butter and 1/2 of milk mixture.  Mix on low speed until moistened, and then on medium for 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl.

Add the rest of the milk mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl between additions and beating on medium for 20 seconds each time.  Batter will be thick and luscious.

Scrape batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for until top is dark golden brown and delicious and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  This will take about 40 minutes, depending on your oven.

Here are some variation ideas:  how about orange zest with cranberries and chopped, toasted nuts?  Try lemon poppyseed by adding the zest of 2-3 lemons and 2-3 Tablespoons of poppy seeds. Fold in some mini chocolate chips.  Add some cinnamon in with the flour, or maybe some cardamom (add some orange zest with that one). 

If you don't own The Cake Bible, go ahead and pick up a copy. You won't be sorry.