Lena R. Spangenberg's Pound Cake

Ingredients

1 pound (2 cups) room temperature butter
3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour1
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground mace
3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
10 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Procedure

1. Assemble ingredients 1 hour ahead of time. Everything should be room temperature.
2. Separate eggs.
3. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
4. Preheat oven to 300 F.
5. Beat egg whites with 1/4/ teaspoon salt until whites stand in soft glossy points, but not until they're dry.
• Gradually add one and a half cups sugar, beating after each addition until blended.
• Sprinkle the cream of tartar on top of the whites, and using the mixer on the lowest speed (or a spatula), gently fold into the whites.
6. Put flour, soda, ground mace, and 1 1/2 cups sugar into large mixing bowl.
7. Put the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice in a second bowl and set aside.
8. Transfer the beaten whites to another bowl and set aside.
9. In large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it's creamy.
10. Gradually add 1/2 cups sugar, blending it in to the butter.
11. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice, gradually, alternating with the dry ingredients.
12. If the batter is too stiff, add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice.
13. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, until thoroughly combined. You may need a larger bowl to do this.
14. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spoon. Set the pan down hard on a table to remove air bubbles.
15. Bake approximately 1 1/2 hours, until done. The cake will shrink from the sides of the pan. Use a knife to test for doneness.
16. Remove from oven and let stand for about fifteen minutes.
17. Loosen sides with a spatula. Using pot holders to lift the hot pan, vigorously shake up and down to loosen cake, and then turn out on a rack.

Notes

The original recipe was in Woman's Day Magazine December, 1954. As published, the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace.

Mom doesn't actually sift the flower, she "fluffs" it though. Mom usually makes one larger and one smaller cake form this recipe. The size depends on how well the whites are beaten. It really fills a bundt pan, rising above the rim.