One thing I love about blogging–it’s a conversation you can have even with your mouth full. Of cake. Like me, at the moment. Sour cream poundcake, that is, and “good enough for govn’ment,” as folks used to say in these parts.
Make that dang good–a moist, heavy, fully-loaded sour cream poundcake is nothing to be trifled with (unless, of course, you happen to be using it as a base for trifle, in which case trifling is not only permissible but actually demanded by the situation).
The poundcake in question came to the office this morning with one of my co-workers whose neighbor has a cake-baking business. This neighbor (Elaine Staton) wanted to spread the word about “Elaine’s Cakes and Creations,” so my department became the very willing beneficiary of the poundcake love.
The sour cream poundcake (or SCP) is a staple of Southern living–you can hardly find a Wednesday night church supper in the fellowship hall or a dinner-on-the-grounds-after-the-camp-meeting or a family reunion or a dead-spread (the endless array of food that friends and neighbors provide following a death in the family) that doesn’t feature an SCP, and thank goodness for it!
Poundcake got its name from the early recipes that simply called for a pound of each ingredient: a pound of butter, a pound of flour, a pound of eggs, a pound of sugar, etc. Poundcakes were for special events because of the amount of special (and hard-to-come-by) ingredients–that’s probably why they’re still associated with church dinners and celebrations and visitations. Anyway, when you mix up all those rich, heavy ingredients, you get a big, heavy cake with a fine grain and a smooth texture. Nothing fluffy or lightweight about a poundcake–even the crumbs have substance!
Elaine’s SCP is exactly what it should be: firm, fully-packed, and flavorful. The sour cream adds a little zing to the standard richness and makes the cake unusually moist. It’s good plain. It’s good draped in sauce or glaze or fruit or whatnot. Heck–it’s even good toasted, if any of it lasts long that long.
Elaine has several flavors available including almond, buttermilk, sour cream, black walnut, strawberry, and chocolate: you name it, she’ll bake it. Her prices are reasonable, too; half-cakes (certain varieties) start at $7 and whole cakes go up to $20. If you’re in the market for a knock-your-socks-off homemade poundcake, look for Elaine* at the Hendersonville Curb Market (www.curbmarket.com) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. You can check out Elaine’s wares, and don’t curb your enthusiasm!
*You can contact Elaine Staton directly at 828-693-9754 (home) or 828-692-8012 (Hendersonville Curb Market).
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