CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE

Do you know how pound cake got its name?  Pound cake got its name from the original formulation: a pound each of sugar, flour, butter and eggs. One can only imagine what that did to cholesterol.  However in fairness to our ancestors who ate it, they did a lot more physical work than we do.  They could get by eating a lot more of those goodies than we can.  How about trying this healthier version of a delicious pound cake?

1-1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk whole eggs, buttermilk, oil, corn syrup and vanilla in another medium bowl until well blended.

Beat egg whites in a large clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and foamy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until stiff glossy peaks form.

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until creamy.Add the remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar to the butter mixture and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk mixtures, beating until just smooth. Fold in about one-third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula until just smooth and no white streaks remain. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees until a skewer inserted into it comes out clean and the top springs back  when touched lightly with fingertips.  This will take about 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto the rack; let cool for at least 1 hour more before slicing.

Delicious served with ice cream, fruit toppings, sauces, etc.  Also good topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

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