Cherry Vanilla Pound Cake

When creating my wedding registry, I added a bundt pan. I figured it was an essential thing for a serious baker to have and I had amassed a sizable collection of pound cake recipes I wanted to make. Two years later, I used that bundt pan for the first time. For some reason, every time I thought about making a pound cake I decided that it was too boring and I would make some other cake/cookie/pie recipe instead that I deemed more exciting. Finally, this past weekend, I found a recipe that sounded too good to pass up. I made this Cherry Vanilla Pound Cake and absolutely loved it. It was rich and moist and pretty thanks to the pink frosting. I'll make it again, but only if I have a reason to share it so that I'm not tempted to eat the whole thing on my own! It'd be perfect for a shower for a baby girl or a spring celebration.


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 10 oz jars maraschino cherries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with butter and sprinkle with flour
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and beat until fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and beat until well incorporated
• In a separate bowl, mix 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt
• Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined
• Drain cherries, save the juice, and chop the cherries
• Mix chopped cherries with the 1/4 cup of flour
• Add cherries to the batter and gently stir
• Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and tap lightly on the counter to release air bubbles
• Bake approximately 1 hr, 20 mins until a toothpick comes out clean ( I actually had to bake mine for 1 hr, 30 mins)
• Turn pan upside down on wire rack to allow cake to release from pan and cool

To make the glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoons cherry juice, and 3 tablespoons whipping cream. Mix until the glaze is thin enough to drip down the sides of the cake.

Recipe adapted from Puttin' On the G.R.I.T.S.