Mother's Loaf Cake

My mother was a really good baker. She would put the goodies out to cool in the kitchen and we three girls would wander by and pick at them until she caught us. The best one to sneak bits from is this loaf cake.

It bakes up with a top crust that's wonderful and crunchy and irresistible. Besides that, the loaf cake itself is dense, moist and delicious.

For having so few ingredients, this cake is really very flavorful. It could be called a pound cake (more like a 3 pound cake after baked), but it's always been Mother's Loaf Cake. 

It's not so much on the healthy side with the shortening, but is a true treat a couple of times a year.

Mother's Loaf Cake is comfort dessert at its best. Put a dollop of whipped cream and maybe some fresh berries on top for a special dessert. Or eat it plain - wonderfully richly, flavorfully plain!

Want another great pound cake? Although Mother's Loaf Cake nostalgically my favorite, Ina Garten's Honey Vanilla Pound Cake is definitely worth a try too!

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Mother's Loaf Cake

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

The best "pound cake" around. It's hard to stop eating this one.

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Ingredients

• 2 C. sugar
• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 C. shortening
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp. lemon or vanilla flavoring

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour a loaf pan.
2. Pour all ingredients into mixer and beat for 3 minutes on medium speed (mixture will be fluffy, but thick).
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours (*see note) until cracked on top and firm. Toothpick inserted deeply into the top of the cake should come out with just a few crumbs.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I use about 1 tsp. lemon flavoring and ½ tsp. vanilla for a great flavor combination.

It almost fills the loaf cake pan, but that's OK because it won't rise a terribly lot.

*Watch the pound cake after 1 hour - mine takes about an hour and fifteen minutes and our oven is spot-on perfect on temperatures. If you press lightly on the top of the cake and it wiggles around, leave it in and check every ten minutes or so. (I had a meeting and had Bret remove one after 1 hour while I was gone and ended up scooping out about one and a half cups of batter because it wasn't done...still tasted great though, was just a little hollow!)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 36mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 5g

Nutrition Values are Approximate