Eggnog Pound Cake

Tis the season to cream butter and sugar, turn cocktails red and green, crunch candy canes for peppermint bark, and come up with foodie gifts like eggnog pound cake. I made 6 mini loaves with this recipe, then wrapped, ribboned and labeled them to spread around the eggnog love. You can freeze a few extra loaves and if you are [tip-of-the-hat] well organized, use extra pound cake for a seasonal trifle (use pound cake in place of ladyfingers or ‘cake layers’ used in most trifle recipes). I just tucked away a few loaves for a future Chocolate Rum Torte (coming soon to a blog near you).

I have had this recipe cut and pasted (the old way with a scissors and paper) into a 3 ring binder for years. I have no idea where it came from, but am grateful to have it. Someone else who was grateful? My 3 year old neighbor who, after last night’s dinner at our house, was given a token mini eggnog pound cake. I cannot contain a smile when I think of him licking—yes, licking—it all the way home (unabashed appreciation warms any cook’s heart; especially a 3 year old who estimates it is so good it should be licked). Here, the recipe for lick-able eggnog pound cake:

Eggnog Pound Cake
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup eggnog
1 cup coconut
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Well. Mix after each, just to blend: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup eggnog, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup eggnog, 1 cup flour. Add coconut and extracts, stir just to blend. Pour into greased, floured 10 inch bundt or 6 mini loaf pans (for gifts or freeze some for later) and bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours (I did 1 hour for the mini loaves).

Note: Feel free to omit the coconut flakes/shreds and extract; sub 1/2 tsp rum extract.