The things I could write about pound cake. I could go on and on and bore you to death, so I think I will. After my father died, I remember visiting a Methodist church with my boyhood friend, and he was introducing me to people. He was raised Methodist, I was not. My people were Baptist.
Between the Cornflower blue casserole illustration and Pound Cake as the title, my heart warmed, just knew this column was going to be extra good. I learned to bake before I learned to cook, my first production: a pound cake!
You painted beautifully the warmth, wholeness, and acceptance of family, Sean. Not all of us get it in the family in which we arrive, but we get a second chance to create it when we get grown. The brokenness isn’t wasted when a person takes that and heals others with it. You do that daily and with perfectly timed humor.
I have said this before and I will say it again. My wife can cook. She has made pound cake (along with others) over the years but everyone seems to enjoy the pound cake the best. She made a pound cake for an elderly friend of ours for his birthday. He cut a piece, put it in a glass, and covered it with milk. My wife asked him if it was dry. He said "No" and told her it was moist and delicious. He said when he was young his family grew up poor. He said they would get help from the local church in the form of food. He said they would get a pound cake that was a few days old and his mother would put it in a glass with a little bit of milk for a treat. Since then he remembers pound cake in a glass of milk as a treat from his mother that passed away years ago. He said all of his success in life he can have almost anything he wants but for my wife to give him a simple pound cake brings back happy childhood memories.
Last Saturday night in Florence , Al I got to meet Sean's pound cake lady and also Sean. After reading his morning post for over a year we got to see him on stage, get a hug from both of them. It was a very nice evening and I would urge to see him when you can. He was gracious enough to sign 2 books of his ...he first looked at my wife and I and said , come here and give me a hug...both of us at the same time. It was so sincerer, like he had known us for decades.
Sean, you have now confirmed that you are the smartest man on the face of the earth! You MARRIED the pound cake lady! Oh my word! There is absolutely nothing better than a dense Southern pound cake that weighs about 15 pounds! Your post made me hungry!
I loved this story. Several days ago I was going to make some peanut butter cookies for my husband. While searching for various recipes I stumbled across a cookbook titled A Taste of Georgia. Inside the peanut butter section I found a Peanut Butter Pound Cake recipe by Rosalynn Carter. It has everything pound cakey about it plus the smoothness of Jif peanut butter. Who else better to create such a sweet treat than a Peanut Farmer's Wife.
My Granny was THE POUND CAKE LADY in our Methodist Church and in our small town! For every wedding, funeral or visiting guests, she was that lady!! Your story brought back wonderful memories of my childhood! Thank you!!
Oh that is soooo true. My Nana was a pound cake lady and there were 5 FIVE ! In our little church. I was blessed. And then I married the brownie lady. Peace
Cannot love this enough! We too have a favorite pound cake recipe in our family that instantly brings back soooo many good memories! I wonder how many of us will be making a pound cake this weekend now?! 🥮🥮
My mother-in-law, Ruby Jewell, was a Pound Cake Lady! My husband’s best friend took a piece of one of her cakes home with him after a visit to her house. His skinny girlfriend declined taking a piece. After a while, he decided he wanted to eat the cake, so he stopped at a convenient store for some milk. When he got back in the car, he couldn’t find the cake. Continuing to search, he found a little ball of aluminum foil all crumbled up with little bits of pound cake all around it! It seems that the skinny girlfriend decided to pinch off just a little bite several miles back, but it was so delicious, she kept sneaking just “one more bite”, until it was gone! The kicker was, after pulling back onto the freeway, the skinny girlfriend asked if, “since he no longer had any cake, could she please have the milk?”
* ALL ingredients at room temperature for 1-2 hours *
3 sticks butter (Pflugra, or Kerry Gold)
8 oz Cream cheese (Not Low Fat)
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 Large eggs
2-3 tsp Vanilla or Almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups All Purpose Flour
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy (takes about 5 minutes). Add eggs slowly, One at a time, beating well after each one. Add extract, flour, and salt, mix until well blended, but Don’t Over Beat !
Pour into a greased and floured (I use sugar instead of flour) 10-12 cup Bundt pan. Place in a Cold oven (don’t preheat). Set temperature to 300* and bake for 90 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on rack (or trivet) for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan by turning upside down onto plate.
Delicious eaten as is, or you can sprinkle Confectionery sugar on top, or serve with sliced strawberries. Also, great at breakfast when warmed & buttered.
Between the Cornflower blue casserole illustration and Pound Cake as the title, my heart warmed, just knew this column was going to be extra good. I learned to bake before I learned to cook, my first production: a pound cake!
You painted beautifully the warmth, wholeness, and acceptance of family, Sean. Not all of us get it in the family in which we arrive, but we get a second chance to create it when we get grown. The brokenness isn’t wasted when a person takes that and heals others with it. You do that daily and with perfectly timed humor.
Well said, my friend.
100 truth!
A beautiful tribute to Sean's talent. ❤️
I have said this before and I will say it again. My wife can cook. She has made pound cake (along with others) over the years but everyone seems to enjoy the pound cake the best. She made a pound cake for an elderly friend of ours for his birthday. He cut a piece, put it in a glass, and covered it with milk. My wife asked him if it was dry. He said "No" and told her it was moist and delicious. He said when he was young his family grew up poor. He said they would get help from the local church in the form of food. He said they would get a pound cake that was a few days old and his mother would put it in a glass with a little bit of milk for a treat. Since then he remembers pound cake in a glass of milk as a treat from his mother that passed away years ago. He said all of his success in life he can have almost anything he wants but for my wife to give him a simple pound cake brings back happy childhood memories.
Last Saturday night in Florence , Al I got to meet Sean's pound cake lady and also Sean. After reading his morning post for over a year we got to see him on stage, get a hug from both of them. It was a very nice evening and I would urge to see him when you can. He was gracious enough to sign 2 books of his ...he first looked at my wife and I and said , come here and give me a hug...both of us at the same time. It was so sincerer, like he had known us for decades.
I’m building a house in Cherokee so we’ve been going to Florence A LOT in the past few months. Hate I missed him.
I am from Florence, and loved your reply- and love reading Sean’s columns!
Lee, my wife and I are both from Florence. Glad you got to see Sean and Jamie there.
Sean, you have now confirmed that you are the smartest man on the face of the earth! You MARRIED the pound cake lady! Oh my word! There is absolutely nothing better than a dense Southern pound cake that weighs about 15 pounds! Your post made me hungry!
Roxanne
I loved this story. Several days ago I was going to make some peanut butter cookies for my husband. While searching for various recipes I stumbled across a cookbook titled A Taste of Georgia. Inside the peanut butter section I found a Peanut Butter Pound Cake recipe by Rosalynn Carter. It has everything pound cakey about it plus the smoothness of Jif peanut butter. Who else better to create such a sweet treat than a Peanut Farmer's Wife.
Pure PB genius!
My Granny was THE POUND CAKE LADY in our Methodist Church and in our small town! For every wedding, funeral or visiting guests, she was that lady!! Your story brought back wonderful memories of my childhood! Thank you!!
Oh that is soooo true. My Nana was a pound cake lady and there were 5 FIVE ! In our little church. I was blessed. And then I married the brownie lady. Peace
That just goes to show you, Sean, God sees you, He always has. And He loves you❤️
Love 💗 Love this story & now I wish I had a piece of pound cake to go with my coffee!
Sean ~ a lovely story…thanks for sharing such a special time in your young life meeting Jamie!
I’m a great cook & a lousy baker BUT I want to make a pound cake this weekend!
Can someone please post a traditional recipe? I’d love to give it a go ~ share the cake & the story too with friends & neighbors! Thanks 💕
I posted a recipe for it that I’ve had good luck with. It’s somewhere in this thread.
+1
I love this and I knew this pound cake story was about Jamie and again, God works in mysterious ways. He’s a nice guy!
As good Episcopalians my mother’s special cake was a Rum Cake!!😋
My deceased MIL was known for her rum cakes. Rum cakes are good too !
Cannot love this enough! We too have a favorite pound cake recipe in our family that instantly brings back soooo many good memories! I wonder how many of us will be making a pound cake this weekend now?! 🥮🥮
Methodist are Baptist who can read, according to the Presbyterian father in a River Runs Through It!
Love it!
Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary.
Guess what my bride had waiting when I got home from work!
I married a pound cake (and cheese straw) lady, too!
My mother-in-law, Ruby Jewell, was a Pound Cake Lady! My husband’s best friend took a piece of one of her cakes home with him after a visit to her house. His skinny girlfriend declined taking a piece. After a while, he decided he wanted to eat the cake, so he stopped at a convenient store for some milk. When he got back in the car, he couldn’t find the cake. Continuing to search, he found a little ball of aluminum foil all crumbled up with little bits of pound cake all around it! It seems that the skinny girlfriend decided to pinch off just a little bite several miles back, but it was so delicious, she kept sneaking just “one more bite”, until it was gone! The kicker was, after pulling back onto the freeway, the skinny girlfriend asked if, “since he no longer had any cake, could she please have the milk?”
MISS DOT’S POUND CAKE
* ALL ingredients at room temperature for 1-2 hours *
3 sticks butter (Pflugra, or Kerry Gold)
8 oz Cream cheese (Not Low Fat)
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 Large eggs
2-3 tsp Vanilla or Almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups All Purpose Flour
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy (takes about 5 minutes). Add eggs slowly, One at a time, beating well after each one. Add extract, flour, and salt, mix until well blended, but Don’t Over Beat !
Pour into a greased and floured (I use sugar instead of flour) 10-12 cup Bundt pan. Place in a Cold oven (don’t preheat). Set temperature to 300* and bake for 90 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on rack (or trivet) for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan by turning upside down onto plate.
Delicious eaten as is, or you can sprinkle Confectionery sugar on top, or serve with sliced strawberries. Also, great at breakfast when warmed & buttered.
Oh my! Having made southern pound cake ever since my UNC Chapel Hill days, this recipe was a new find! Never used cream cheese before! Must try!!
Enjoy !!
Found it! Haha. Printing to try this weekend!!