Mama's pound cake

( by Paula Deen)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together.  Add sugar, a little at a time.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour.  Mix in vanilla.  Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

( I served it with 4 cups sliced strawberries mixed with 1/4 cup sugar.  Then topped it with homemade whipped cream (Beat 1 cup heavy cream till peaks are about to form.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 Tbs. confectioners sugar.  Beat till peaks form (not too much or it comes out like butter).)

-Jen Schwab