Cold Oven Pound Cake

This is the best pound cake I have ever eaten. It is moist, tasty and has a great texture. For years, I was told not to over beat my mixture. My cakes did not turn out very fluffy. They were dense and heavy. I do use my mixer, and I do mix it a lot. This is a great recipe that my friend Kellie Furr shared with me. You can switch around the extracts to adjust the taste to suit you. I am a traditionalist, so I just use vanilla. But you can use 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 1/2 tsp of lemon extract, brandy extract, almond extract or any flavor you want to try.

Cold Oven Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
3 c. sugar
3 c. all purpose flour (I only use unbleached flour - no one needs the extra chemicals used to bleach the flour.)
5 eggs
2 - 3 tsp. vanilla extract (I only use the real, not the imitation. Imitation comes from charred wood, not from the vanilla bean.)
1 c. milk (I do use skim, and it turns out just fine.)

Cream the butter and shortening. Add sugar and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and alternate with mild. Blend thoroughly. Add flavorings. Pour into a greased and floured tube or fluted pan. Place in cold over and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Then raise the temperature to 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 -15 minutes before turning out of pan. Allow to cool before cutting. Serve plain, with powdered sugar, strawberries and syrup or any way you wish.