Cream Cheese-Poppy Seed Pound Cake

This is a dense delicious flavoursome cake from the Better Homes and Gardens Cake Book. It is quite filling so I don't bother frosting it and cut thin slices.My DH doesn't like cakes much but he loves this cake. Note that it also freezes beautifully.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 16-20

Ingredients

• 250  g butter (no substitutes)
• 250  g cream cheese
• 6  eggs
• 3  cups plain flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 1⁄4 cup poppy seed
• 2  teaspoons vanilla essence

Directions

1. Bring butter, cheese and eggs to room temperature before you begin.
2. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan and preheat oven to 160C or 325°F.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until softened.
5. Gradually add sugar 2 TABLESPOONS AT A TIME beating on medium speed about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy.
6. Add poppy seeds and vanilla essence.
7. Add eggs,one at a time, beating on low to medium speed 1 minute after each addition and scraping bowl frequently.
8. Gradually add flour mixture beating on low speed until just combined.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 1/4 hours or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
10. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before serving.