Spring Time in Louisiana!! Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

IT IS FINALLY SPRING!!! Yes it is!! Spring time is one more reason why I LOVE living in Louisiana. There are so many wonderful things to enjoy while the weather is warming up!! The azaleas blooming, crawfish boils, Abita Strawberry, sunshine, country music with the windows down, family and friends. I really couldn't ask for more. My dad and I went down to Houston to see my sister and brought a little of Louisiana to Texas. She had some friends over and we boiled crawfish, shrimp and the fixins. I put on some zydeco music, popped open an Abita Strawberry and that Louisiana feeling was there! Oh how I love it!!! But now to the cooking. My dad has been boiling crawfish for over 20 years... As long as I can remember. It is a Louisiana favorite!! And as much as I love crawfish, everything else in the pot is just as good. To show you a few...

And here is to the Chef!!!!

We had a big time! I, of course, had to contribute in some way so I made appetizer and dessert. I made my corn dip. It was a hit!!

I also made a strawberry cream cheese pound cake. It was SO good!! I got a lot of compliments on this one. It came from Southern Living last month. I love pound cake. It is just delicious. Not difficult to make at all. My dad was my sue chef! And he did a great job!! Well we had one set back... the recipe did say we needed a heavy duty stand mixer but we were at my sisters (who is not a baker) and her hand mixer bit the dust. Smoke everywhere. I'd have to say, it was a first! But we got another one and picked right back up.

Here is the recipe...

1 1/2  cups  butter, softened

3  cups  sugar

1  (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

6  large eggs

3  cups  all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon  almond extract

1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract

2/3  cup  strawberry glaze (I used strawberry preserves) 

1  (6-inch) wooden skewer

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. 

Add cream cheese, beating until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

2. Gradually add flour to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Pour one-third of batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan (about 2 2/3 cups batter). Dollop 8 rounded teaspoonfuls strawberry glaze over batter, and swirl with wooden skewer. 

Repeat procedure once, and top with remaining third of batter.

3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!