Pound Cake (Aunt Polly Rives)

Ingredients

• 10 whole fresh eggs
• fresh butter
• white sugar
• flour
• 2 wineglasses whiskey, brandy, sherry, or rose water
• 1 good pinch salt
• 3 whole egg whites
• 1 pound sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• a little cold water

Instructions

1. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks to a pale cream-yellow color. Add the sugar cupful at a time, beating hard after each addition. Beat in the butter, which should be creamed to a froth. Add half the flour and beat well. Pour in the whiskey, brandy, sherry, or rose water (two wineglasses), and beat hard for five minutes. Add the remaining flour, taking care not to pack it during handling. Beat for fifteen minutes longer.
2. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites with a good pinch of salt until they stick to the dish. Fold them into the batter with long strokes, barely mixing them through to preserve the lightness.
3. Pour the batter into deep pans or vessels lined with double layers of greased paper, with the vessels themselves well buttered. Bake with quick heat, allowing the cake to rise well before it begins to brown. When it reaches a very light brown, reduce the heat and continue cooking until a straw or skewer thrust to the bottom comes out clean.
4. Turn the cake out onto a thick, folded cloth, cover with a thinner cloth, and let cool completely before frosting.
5. For the frosting: Beat three well-chilled egg whites with a pinch of salt and a very little cold water until they form the stiffest possible froth. Gradually add one pound of sugar sifted together with one teaspoon of cream of tartar, mixing very smooth. Apply with a broad-bladed knife, dipping it occasionally in cold water to keep the frosting smooth. The frosting should dry about a quarter-inch thick.