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 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