DESCRIPTION
This is the recipe for the lusciously moist Vanilla Pound Cake that Rick baked and took into the studio for the Morning Show staff to try. The overwhelming response: TREMENDOUS! You'll be hard pressed to find a more luscious, moist Vanilla Pound Cake than this one!

Yields: N/A
Prep Time: N/A
Cook Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp. sifted,
unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. potato starch
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
8 ounces (1 cup) sour cream
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup brandy
1 Tbsp. Amaretto
1 Tbsp. rum
1-1/2 tsp. whiskey
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups extrafine granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
5 large eggs
1 yolk
Powdered sugar, for sprinkling (final presentation)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 Dees-grees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with potato starch, vanilla powder, salt, and baking soda and whisk gently to blend.

3. In another large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and liquors and whisk gently to combine.

4. Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Slice open vanilla pod and scrape in black seeds, and begin blending on low speed. After 2 to 3 minutes, add eggs and extra yolk one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding next egg. Continuing on low speed, alternately add dry and wet mixtures, little by little. (Move swiftly through this step to avoid overworking batter - it should take no more than 1 minute.) Stop mixer, scrape down sides of bowl and along bottom, and mix on medium for 15 to 20 seconds, until batter is consistently smooth.

5. Spray a large (11-1/2 cup) Bundt pan with an oil/starch pan spray. Fill pan three-quarters full and level it with a rubber spatula. (Use any leftover batter for cupcakes.) Bake 45 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a bamboo skewer into center and removing. When skewer shows just a touch of crumbs, remove cake from oven and cool 5 to 10 minutes on a flat surface. Remove cake from pan and allow to cool completely. Slice, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with whipped cream and berries, if desired.

Recipe courtesy of O - The Oprah Magazine (November 2006 issue). Photograph by Michael Edwards.