Cream Cheese Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake

Top this dense and flavorful cake with sifted powdered sugar or maybe a simple glaze. I halved the recipe, and baked it in a loaf pan for about one hour. From Southern Living (December 2004)

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3  cups sugar
• 6  eggs
• 3  cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup Bourbon
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1⁄2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Grease and flour a 12 cup tube or bundt pan.
3. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
4. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until the yellow yolk disappears.
6. Sift together flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with bourbon, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
7. Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition.
8. Stir in vanilla and pecans.
9. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup tube pan.
10. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
11. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.