2 1/2 c Flour
1 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1 c Butter, soft
8 oz Cream cheese, soft
2 1/2 c Sugar
5 ea Eggs, separated
2 ts Vanilla extract
Baking pan: one 10 1/2-inch tube pan, three inches deep
OR two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pans
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour the baking pan or pans.
Stir or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
Cream the butter and the cream cheese until light and smooth.
Gradually add two cups of the sugar, blending well after each
addition. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry
ingredients slowly, blending well after each addition. With clean,
dry beaters, beat the egg whites until frothy; add the remaining 1/2
cup of sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites hold firm,
flossy, moist peaks. Fold a third of the egg whites into the batter
to lighten it; fold the rest of the egg whites into the lightened
batter. (The lightened batter is still quite thick, so folding in the
rest of the egg whites takes some energy.) Pour the batter into the
prepared tube pan or divide it equally between the two prepared loaf
pans. Bake either tube or loaves for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake
tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The top of
the cake will be golden and the cake will be pulling away from the
sides of the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for
five minutes and then turn out to finish cooling right side up on the
rack. Serve warm or cold.
Yields
2 Loaves