Pound Cake

1 lb. butter, softened but cold, plus more for greasing
1 lb. sugar
1 lb. eggs (approximately 8), room temperature
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. cake flour, sifted
1/2 Tbsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Grease two loaf pans with butter and line with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment overhang to be able to pull the loaves out of the pans after baking.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on high for about 10 minutes, stopping frequently to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture will become light and fluffy, almost completely white in color.

Add the eggs one at a time to the batter, mixing well on high speed between additions.

Add in the vanilla. Beat the mixture on high until completely smooth and evenly mixed.

Add the dry ingredients, and finish mixing the batter by hand, stopping as soon as the batter is smooth. You don't want to over mix it.

Divide the batter into the loaf pans. Bake for approximately 1 hour, rotating the pans at 15, 30, and 45 minutes. Rotate the pans carefully and slowly; try not to disturb the cakes.

Ice cream pound cake

Test with a toothpick after an hour, it should come out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Cool the cakes on a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.

This recipe is easy to halve if you only want one pound cake. I've served this pound cake plain, with fruit, with ice cream, and I've used it to make an ice cream cake. It's delicious and versatile.

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/easy-vanilla-bean-pound-cake-recipe.html