This recipe was given to me by an old country woman sometime around 1980. Her one caution was, "Now, honey, don't you be tempted to put no baking powder in this cake 'cause it will ruin it." The cake is simple to make but the baking time is iffy. Over the years I've used various Bundt pans, and I've had good luck with all of them, so I don't think the type of Bundt pan you use is that important.

1. Cream together 3 sticks of unsalted butter with 3 cups of white sugar. Do not use margarine or any type of butter substitute. Beat in five eggs, one at a time.

2. Add 1 tsp. of pure lemon extract and 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract. Do not use imitation flavorings.

3. Sift in a separate bowl 3 cups of plain white flour or plain unbleached four. Do not use self-rising flour.

4. Measure one cup of milk. I've used both whole and 2% with success.

5. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix well followed by 1/3 cup of milk, again mixing well. Repeat until all of the flour and the milk have been added.

6. This next part seems a bit odd, but I've always done it. Beat the batter for 15 minutes. I guess I'm too superstitious to skip this step.

7. Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan.

8. This is a big heavy cake so it will take a long time to cook. Cook at 350 for an hour. Check to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick or thin knife blade into the thickest part of the cake. It is likely you will need to cook it longer. I cook for an addition fifteen minutes and then check again. If the cake still is not cooked, I keep checking after every five additional minutes.

9. When the cake is done, turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Alternate Step 1:

I grew up in Florida and ate citrus fruit almost every day. To this date, lemons and limes are my favorite flavors. You can't make anything too lemony for me. If you are as fond of lemon as I am, you might want to try this additional step.

In a bowl use a whisk mix 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with 1/2 cup of lemon juice.

When the cake is finished cooking, do not take it out of the pan. Instead carefully pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake. I use a knife to pull the cake away from the pan a bit and drizzle the mixture down the side, repeating until the entire bowl of mixture is used. Let the cake sit until cool, allowing the lemon-sugar mixture to soak in.

Carefully turn the cake onto a large plate.

Alternate Step 2:

Before putting the batter into the cake pan, add 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen. Mix well, but not too vigorously; you don't want to break up the berries.

Posted by Lissie