Cream cheese pound cake

Set the oven to 325F; any hotter and the cake burns.

Bring the butter to room temperature - soft enough that a finger makes a nice indent without trying hard, and bendable; from cold, microwave at 50 percent power a few seconds.

Beat the butter on medium for about two minutes in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, until it is fluffy and full of air. Pound cake is unleavened, so this is where the lift comes from.

Add the softened cream cheese and beat about a minute more, scraping the bowl down so there are no clumps of butter or cream cheese on the bottom.

Add the sugar and mix about two minutes, scraping the bowl down frequently, until the mixture is pale, cloudy and soft.

Crack the six room temperature eggs into a bowl.

Mix on medium low and add the eggs about one at a time so each incorporates; the mixture will break and look like cottage cheese, which is fine. Scrape the bowl down after a couple of eggs.

Add the tablespoon of vanilla and mix it in.

Weigh in the flour and sprinkle in the salt.

Mix on the lowest speed only until almost combined, a few seconds, then finish by hand with a spatula, going to the bottom of the bowl and bringing the batter up.

Coat a 10 to 12 cup bundt or tube pan evenly with baking spray, or butter and flour it.

Dollop the batter into the pan, work it around with the spatula into an even bubble free layer, then tap the pan on a kitchen towel to knock out air bubbles.

Bake at 325F for 70 to 85 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean; tent it with foil if it takes on too much colour.

Cool about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely out of the pan, or the butter hardens and the cake sticks.

Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar, slice, and serve with berries, whipped cream or ice cream.