Pound Cake

2-3/4 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups margarine or butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup evaporated milk

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour 12 cup Bundt cake pan. Beat sugar, margarine, vanilla and eggs on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, 30 seconds. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 5 minutes. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and beat in alternately with milk on low speed. Pour into pan.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 70-80 minutes. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan. 16 servings.

Almond Pound Cake: Substitute 1 tsp almond extract for the vanilla.

Lemon Pound Cake: Substitute 1 tsp lemon extract for the vanilla and fold 2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon peel into batter.

Orange-Coconut Pound Cake: Fold 1 can (3-1/2 oz) flaked coconut (1-1/3 cups) and 2-3 tablespoons shredded orange peel into batter.

From Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1986