Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Macerated Raspberries

Photo by Katie Guymon

My dear friend Shannon raved about this pound cake recipe after she made it for a group of girls for her most recent craft club meeting. (Yeah, craft club. This is the second time I've heard of this phenomenon, and let me just say that it fits Shannon to a T. She won't take offense to that.)

I rarely make desserts just to have on-hand at home (my addiction to Chinese take-out more than undermines my work-outs, so why bring sweets into the mix?), so I'm not super confident when it comes to making cakes from scratch. But, this recipe was really simple! The most difficult aspect was my cook time; my oven is a little funky, so I just kept a close eye on the cake so it didn't become dry.

I served the cake with macerated raspberries; you can really pick any combination of berries, but the raspberries were speaking to me that day at the grocery store. The pound cake sops up the juices wonderfully. Add a big heap of homemade whip cream on top for the final touch.



Note: you can store the cake up to three days, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature. I do not recommend putting the cake in the fridge! It will lose its softness. I learned the hard way.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Macerated Raspberries [adapted from Martha Stewart]

For the Cake: 

-1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature 

-1 bar (8 ounces) of cream cheese, room temperature

-3 cups of sugar

-6 large eggs

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-3 cups of all-purpose flour

-2 teaspoons of salt

-Nonstick cooking spray (this will make the cake look very brown on the outside)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour and salt in two additions, beating until just combined.

2. Generously coat a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Immediately pour in batter. Tap the pan on work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.

3. Bake until golden and a butter knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 60 to 75 minutes (if the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil).

4. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out the cake; cool completely, with top sides up, on a wire rack.

For the Berries:
-2 lbs. of raspberries
-1/4 cup of orange juice
-3/4 cup of sugar
-1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier (optional)

1. Mix the orange juice, sugar, and 1 cup of berries together with the back of a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the rest of the berries and the Grand Marnier and stir gently.

3. Let the mixture sit for 1-2 hours to soften the berries.

Cape Cod Dip

Cape Cod Dip
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-1 can condensed New England clam chowder
-1 medium clove garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce

1. Combine all ingredients and beat with electric mixer until smooth.

2. Chill, then serve with cracks or chips.

Strawberry Poppers

Strawberry Poppers

-30 medium-sized strawberries, hulled
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-fresh rosemary, minced
-1 tablespoon honey
-1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

1. Hull the strawberries.

2. Blend the cream cheese, rosemary, honey, and walnuts together with a hand mixer. Add the salt and pepper.

3. Stuff the mixture into a Ziploc bag and snip off one corner. Pipe the mixture into the hulled strawberries. Refrigerate for up to five hours or serve immediately.

Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Dip

You know what's awesome? Cream cheese. I bet you guessed I was gonna say that.

I mean, it's just so versatile. It's like a 2001 John Mabry sitting in the dairy section of your local grocery store. Am I right, or am I right?

My mother-in-law, Marilyn, introduced me to this tasty dip, and I've been craving it ever since.

Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Dip
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-1 package of dry Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
-2 roasted red peppers, diced
-1 six ounce can of quartered artichokes, diced
-3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
-crackers or pita chips

1. Mix the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix with a hand blender. Spread evenly into the bottom of a pie plate.

2. Add the chopped roasted red peppers, artichokes, and parsley evenly on top of the cream cheese.

3. Serve with pita chips or crackers.