Poundcake

Stephanie Forbes from Gwynn Oak recalled that when she was a child growing up in Berkeley, Calif., her mother used to make a wonderful poundcake every week. She does not remember the specific ingredients, but she is sure it had sour cream as well as orange, lemon and vanilla extracts. She said her mom was a devoted reader of women's magazines and that perhaps the recipe came from one of those publications. Kitty Lee Devilbiss from Union Bridge sent in a recipe for a sour-cream poundcake that she said was printed in a special insert of Better Homes and Gardens magazine sometime in the early 1970s.

Stephanie Forbes from Gwynn Oak recalled that when she was a child growing up in Berkeley, Calif., her mother used to make a wonderful poundcake every week. She does not remember the specific ingredients, but she is sure it had sour cream as well as orange, lemon and vanilla extracts. She said her mom was a devoted reader of women's magazines and that perhaps the recipe came from one of those publications. Kitty Lee Devilbiss from Union Bridge sent in a recipe for a sour-cream poundcake that she said was printed in a special insert of Better Homes and Gardens magazine sometime in the early 1970s.

Linda Everett of Knoxville, Tenn., was looking for a recipe from the 1980s that she had misplaced. It's for a poundcake made with cottage cheese. She said it was "moist and tasty - only needed a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top to make it the perfect dessert." Nancy Simmons of Salisbury, N.C., sent in a recipe she has used for many years for a cottage-cheese poundcake. I think the best poundcakes are made with real butter, so I tested her recipe using a good-quality unsalted butter. The cake had a lovely texture and flavor.

Linda Everett of Knoxville, Tenn., was looking for a recipe from the 1980s that she had misplaced. It's for a poundcake made with cottage cheese. She said it was "moist and tasty - only needed a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top to make it the perfect dessert." Nancy Simmons of Salisbury, N.C., sent in a recipe she has used for many years for a cottage-cheese poundcake. I think the best poundcakes are made with real butter, so I tested her recipe using a good-quality unsalted butter. The cake had a lovely texture and flavor.

ABOUT 42 MILLION Americans are still alive with memories long enough to cover the Great Depression of the 1930s. Times were tough and cabbage was cheap and shoes were $2 a pair. If you wanted luxury you got ice cream and chicken -- once a week.For this correspondent, a top sensory memory of the time is poundcake. Today it may be a second or third choice, but it's hard to understand why something so versatile has to take a back seat.In the 1930s it was truly a treat. You got your 59-cent loaf at the bakery or the market and, because butter and real baker's chocolate were then much too expensive for survival level menus, you bought a 29 cent canned substitute chocolate sauce to pour over the cake slices.

Jean C. Adams of Deadwood, S.D., lost a recipe for a cake that she describes as wonderfully rich, easy to ship to others and very tasty. "It is an apricot poundcake," she says, "and it keeps indefinitely and a little goes a long way."She added: "I sent it to my husband during the Vietnam War and it reached him in excellent condition. I cut the recipe from the Rapid City Journal more than 25 years ago and lost it. Now I want to make some of these cakes for Christmas gifts."Responses arrived from many people, including Virginia J. Griggs of Pinehurst, N.C., Mary McLaughlin of Montrose, Colo.

When I looked at my calendar for the coming week, I couldn't believe my eyes. On Sunday, my women's investment group was having a potluck, for which I had volunteered a dessert. On Thursday evening, there was the buffet at our house for my husband's freshman college class. Good friends were coming on Saturday for a short weekend visit. Add to that a cooking class for 30 midweek, and you can understand my anxiety. I needed simple recipes to tackle all this entertaining. Since the potluck party was first, I started looking for a sweet confection to take to that gathering.

All those eggs, all that butter give poundcake its appropriate name. It's rich and dense and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. However, poundcake is subtle. It doesn't have the dazzling good looks of a fruit pie or the flavor jolt of a chocolate layer cake. Because of its simplicity, you might overlook poundcake when you want to make a luscious dessert. That would be a shame. With a little make-over, poundcake becomes an elegant and stunning dessert. Start by baking a chocolate-streaked marble cake.

I made a poundcake with blueberries in it. But the blueberries fell to the bottom. How do I get the blueberries to do what they are supposed to do? Tossing ingredients with flour is one way to keep them from sinking in batter, but that works best with dry things, such as dried fruit or nuts. For your blueberry poundcake, try frozen blueberries. Frozen berries are less likely to sink. Fold them into the batter very gently, or put the batter in the pan in layers, sprinkling in some blueberries before you add more batter.

What it is -- A puree made with Bartlett pears What we like about it --This fruity alternative to applesauce would be great stirred into plain yogurt or served with quick breads or poundcake. Several tasters liked it by itself, too. What it costs --$3.29 for a 26.25-ounce jar Where to buy --Trader Joe's stores

When I entertain, it's usually on weekends and most often in the evening. Every so often, however, I break this pattern, and last week was one of those times. I invited friends to come to an early-morning coffee at my home to meet a young woman who had recently moved from Atlanta to our New England town. Although everyone worked, miraculously we were each able to carve out an hour on a Monday morning for the gathering. This was definitely entertaining at its simplest, and yet I can't remember having a better time.

I made a poundcake with blueberries in it. But the blueberries fell to the bottom. How do I get the blueberries to do what they are supposed to do? Tossing ingredients with flour is one way to keep them from sinking in batter, but that works best with dry things, such as dried fruit or nuts. For your blueberry poundcake, try frozen blueberries. Frozen berries are less likely to sink. Fold them into the batter very gently, or put the batter in the pan in layers, sprinkling in some blueberries before you add more batter.

What it is -- A puree made with Bartlett pears What we like about it --This fruity alternative to applesauce would be great stirred into plain yogurt or served with quick breads or poundcake. Several tasters liked it by itself, too. What it costs --$3.29 for a 26.25-ounce jar Where to buy --Trader Joe's stores

Mary McDonald of Hermitage, Pa., was looking for a recipe for a cream-cheese poundcake. She is 80 and used to make this cake often but has lost her recipe. Pat Holahan of Fayetteville, N.C., sent in a recipe she likes for Philadelphia Cream Cheese Poundcake. This simple cake is chock-full of butter, cream cheese and eggs and is anything but low-calorie. It is, however, rich, dense and delicious. Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve it with fresh strawberries or sorbet for a classic dessert everyone is sure to enjoy.

Connie M. Granger of Arlington, Va., wrote that she was looking for a black-pepper cake recipe. "Several years ago, a friend in Lexington Park served the cake, which a friend from North Carolina had baked for her. She believes it is an old family recipe because the lady who baked it refused to give out the recipe. It was a poundcake and delicious. Please see if you can locate this recipe for me. I just have to have it." Brenda Pitt of Mineral Point, Pa., responded with a recipe that she notes is "from the kitchen of the Hawaii Convention Center [Wayne Komamura, chef, and Debra Benton, food and beverage director]

When I looked at my calendar for the coming week, I couldn't believe my eyes. On Sunday, my women's investment group was having a potluck, for which I had volunteered a dessert. On Thursday evening, there was the buffet at our house for my husband's freshman college class. Good friends were coming on Saturday for a short weekend visit. Add to that a cooking class for 30 midweek, and you can understand my anxiety. I needed simple recipes to tackle all this entertaining. Since the potluck party was first, I started looking for a sweet confection to take to that gathering.

That all-American favorite, ground beef, is worth considering for more than just the hamburger bun this summer. It's probably this country's favorite style of beef. It's quick to cook, kids love it and the outcome is usually fail-safe. Here's an easy, but interesting rendition of the retro-meatloaf. The choice is yours whether to use ground beef or ground turkey; either works very well. The layer of roasted red bell peppers is optional. The roasted bells are great for color and flavor, but your family may prefer the simpler version.

Thomas Jefferson never slept at the Willow Grove Inn in Orange, Va., but he did design the building that became the inn, and, more important to epicures, he influenced the fine food served there.This years marks the 250th anniversary of our third president's birth; what other excuse do you need to travel to and enjoy a meal at this historic site in the Blue Ridge foothills?But before you take off, here's a quick history lesson: The inn began as a manor house in 1778. Three presidents passed by in their carriages.

All those eggs, all that butter give poundcake its appropriate name. It's rich and dense and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. However, poundcake is subtle. It doesn't have the dazzling good looks of a fruit pie or the flavor jolt of a chocolate layer cake. Because of its simplicity, you might overlook poundcake when you want to make a luscious dessert. That would be a shame. With a little make-over, poundcake becomes an elegant and stunning dessert. Start by baking a chocolate-streaked marble cake.

Fruit came in bushels and berries in flats at my parents' house. Because my father was a produce shipper, my mom always had an abundance of summer fruit and berries to pile on her shortcakes. In fact, the traditional shortcake that I grew up with was actually two huge spongecake layers filled and covered with strawberries and whipped cream. The top of the cake was crammed with "toppers," the giant strawberries used to top off each pint. My mom never fooled around with individual shortcakes when she had so much fruit.