Optional, for serving: whipped cream; fresh berries; ice cream; fresh mint
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a Bundt pan and dust with flour.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Stir in sour cream and vanilla extract.
Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add to the batter and mix just until combined.
Transfer to the prepared pan.
Bake for 70-80 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake is cool, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
Sour Cream Pound Cake Glaze: I keep it simple with a dusting of powdered sugar, but you can also finish your cake with a simple glaze (which is just a combination of powdered sugar and milk). You can start with 1 tablespoon of milk whisked with 2/3 cup of powdered sugar, and then add more milk to thin the glaze as necessary. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle over the cake, but not too runny. To thicken the glaze, add more powdered sugar. You really can’t screw it up!
Can I make a Bundt cake in a regular pan? Yes. If you don’t have a Bundt pan or a tube pan, you can typically use 2 loaf pans. The volume of batter should also fit in either two 9-inch round cake pans or in one 9 x 13-inch pan. I haven’t tested this particular recipe in anything other than a Bundt pan, though, so try it at your own risk.
Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake: You can add great lemon flavor to this cake with just a few simple additions. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest. For an even stronger lemon flavor, add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract as well. You can finish the lemon cake with a lemon glaze by using 2/3 cup of powdered sugar whisked with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (thinning with more lemon juice, as necessary).