Cherry Pound Cake

Cherry Pound Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 1/2 cup shortening, such as Crisco 3 cups sugar 5 eggs 3 cups flour 1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, roughly chopped (reserve the juice) 3 to 4 drops red food coloring About 3/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon almond or lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

In a measuring cup, combine cherry juice and red coloring. Add enough milk to make 1 cup liquid. Stir together, then stir into batter. Add flavoring and chopped cherries to batter and stir in.

Pour batter into cake pan; place on lower rack in oven. Bake 1 1/2 hours. Do not open the oven door to test for doneness during the first hour or more of baking.

When done, remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Variation: Make a plain pound cake by eliminating cherries and coloring. Increase milk to 1 cup and flavoring to 2 tablespoons.

Makes 12 servings.

Contributed by :

 * Catsrecipes Y-Group