Sour Cream Pound Cake

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder

⅓ cup sour cream

2 tbsp milk

14 tbsp butter, softened but still cool

1¼ cups sugar

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with baking spray. Dust with flour.

Whisk eggs and vanilla together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sift flour, ¾ tsp salt, and baking powder into bowl. Whisk sour cream and milk together in second bowl.

Beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy,  2-3 minutes, scraping down bowl once. Reduce speed to medium and gradually pour in sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce speed to medium and gradually add egg mixture in slow steady stream. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and continue to mix on medium speed until uniform, about 1 minute (batter may looks curdled).

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.

Transfer the batter to prepared pan and tap pan twice on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1¾ hours to 1 hour 55 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely in rack, about 2 hours, before serving. Cooled cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

VARIATION: Cranberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

4 ounces (1 cup) fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped coarse

1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar

Toss cranberries with confectioners’ sugar until evenly coated, then gently but thoroughly fold into batter.