Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Blackberry Coulis

I haven't been the most diligent about posting recipes here on Kitchen Notes lately, I know that.  There's been lots of baking going on in my kitchen, I promise, I just haven't been taking the time to post as often as I should.  I'm awfully sorry for being such a slacker, but the problem is that I'm totally distracted.  You see, several files of my Nonny's old recipes have come into my possession and I have been poring over them for weeks!  Every time I think I've looked over them all, I come across a new and interesting one that I haven't seen before.  It has been great fun going through all of them!

Although my grandmother would never have considered herself a great cook, she really knew her way around the kitchen and loved to collect recipes.  Her files were full of newspaper clippings, carefully written recipes from family and friends, and notes in Nonny's handwriting explaining when she enjoyed that particular dish- "served at Lenoir's birthday party" or "Marjorie made this for our ladies' tea."  I was especially touched to see so many of my Mom's recipes included in there!  Poking through these recipes has definitely been a nostalgic experience.

Now this recipe for cream cheese pound cake looked pretty unassuming- a yellowed newspaper clipping with an Ovaltine ad on the back- and I don't remember my Nonny ever making it.  However, I couldn't put it back into the file without trying it out first.  I am a firm believer in the fact that cream cheese makes everything better, and I loved the simplicity of the ingredients.  The cake turned out unbelievably good- light, flavorful, and especially tasty when served with my simple blackberry sauce and vanilla whipped cream.  The only thing I'd change in the future is to have some extra blackberries and maybe a few mint leaves to garnish each dessert.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste)
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1 /2 teaspoons baking powder
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and cream cheese until light.  Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly, then add the vanilla.
2.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.
3.  Combine flour and baking powder.  Add to the creamed mixture, beating well.
4.  Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
5.  Bake in preheated oven about 75 minutes, or until wooden pick in center comes out clean.
6.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Turn onto rack to cool completely.
7.  Slice into triangles and serve with blackberry coulis and vanilla bean whipped cream

Blackberry Coulis

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
24 ounces fresh blackberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
1.  In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar.  Add blackberries and bring mixture to a boil.
2.  Cook, stirring constantly, until blackberries break down slightly and mixture is thickened.
3.  Puree using a blender or food processor and strain into a clean bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
4.  Stir in lemon juice and cool before serving with the cream cheese pound cake.
5.  When ready to serve, pool a little coulis on the dessert plate and arrange pound cake triangles on top of it.  You may not need all of it!

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

*Make just prior to serving!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1 cup whipping cream, very cold

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Directions:

1.  Store metal mixing bowl and wire whisk in freezer until ready to make whipped cream.  Remove from freezer and add sugar to the mixing bowl.

2.  Pour the cold cream over the sugar and whisk until mixture reaches soft peaks (the consistency of a milkshake).

3.  Add the vanilla bean paste and continue whisking just until mixture reaches stiff peaks.

4.  Serve a spoonful of whipped cream with the pound cake and blackberry sauce.