While my immediate family is on the small side, I do have a relatively large extended family. My grandpa was one of 7, so after a few generations, there are a lot of us! Every year, the whole family rents a hall at the beginning of December and celebrates Christmas dinner together. It’s called it the “Archibald Family Christmas Party.”
This has been a tradition since I was little. Since moving to Florida, I haven’t been back for many of the dinners, but I always loved them. All of my Great Aunts in the kitchen, the little kids running around, my Uncle Chuck saying Grace, seeing my Grandpa laugh with his brothers and sisters. All of it was magical.
In recent years, my dad has taken over the roll of dressing up as Santa and passing out gifts to all of the kids. My sister always helps him, and they both love it. Here’s a picture of them from this years party.
For this party, everyone would bring a dish or two to pass, but my favorite was always Aunt Opal’s pound cake. It was no secret how delicious it was. Once my aunt realized how much I loved it, she would bring two to the party. One for the party, and one for me to take home. It was the best, and so was she.
My Great Aunt Opal passed away many years ago, but every time I make this pound cake I think about her and the Archibald Family Christmas Party. I’m sharing her recipe here, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups butter (room temp)
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
**No pre-heating – cake goes into a cold oven.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Gradually add in sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time.
- Sift flour in a separate bowl, and add into the mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
- Add in vanilla, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well combined.
- Generously grease and flour your bundt pan. Pour mixture into pan.
- Cook at 325 for 80 – 90 minutes. Outside color should be past golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.
