My First Attempt at Pound Cake (an absolute must with fresh strawberries!)

One of my favorite produces to get fresh from the fields, are strawberries. Fortunately in West Virginia by May/June, strawberries are abundant at all local farmer's markets: Butler's, Orr's, Ridgefield's, are some of my local faves.

Last weekend I stopped by Butler's to pick up some strawberries and only strawberries. Needless to say, that turned into a full-blown produce spree, and I obviously couldn't leave without a bottle of their homemade strawberry daiquiri mix (I opted for making strawberry margaritas instead and they were a-mazing). I also found a strawberry that kind of looked like a poodle: what do you think?

Anywho, after I got home I decided that I really wanted strawberry shortcake, which in my family simply translates to pound cake, strawberries, and whipped cream. Now, I have to confess: this family favorite usually involves both Sara Lee and Cool Whip. Being the baker that I am, though, I decided to do everything from scratch. The whipped cream part was a breeze, but I needed to find the perfect pound cake recipe (and by perfect I mean one I actually had the ingredients for). When I moved into Spring Maples, my mother gave me most of her cookbooks, so I decided to scour through them to find the recipe. In a 1970's book compiled by the Campus Crusades for Christ, called Delectable Collectibles, I found my recipe:

I only made one small adjustment: I'd seen another recipe for a "crusty pound cake" that advised turning the oven up to 350°F for the last 30 minutes: I gave it a whirl and was quite please with the outcome!