Tasty Tuesdays: Berry Pound Cake with Whipped Topping

Growing up, my family would spend a bit of our 4th of July making a red, white, and blue dessert.  It's been a long time since I've been here in New Orleans for the 4th, but we've managed to keep the tradition going no matter where we celebrate. 

This year, Mark and I will be joining his family at his uncle's cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We have plans to hike in Spearfish Canyon, shop in Rapid City, take in some Cowboy culture in Deadwood, and see fireworks live from Moutn Rushmore.  I cannot wait for a little break from life here in the deep South.  This time of year the thought of spending more than ten minutes outside, unless sitting in a pool, makes me feel stifled.  The heat has become unbearable!  So I am looking forward to family time in the heart of the Midwest.

I'm also looking forward to keeping our tradition and whipping up something sweet and patriotic.  I absolutely love the simplicity of Martha Stewart's Berry Pound Cake with Whipped Topping. The fact that it makes two loaves is also helpful given that we'll be serving ten people.  I can't promise that my wgipped topping will look nearly as pretty as Martha's, but how can you go wrong when you add butter sugar and flour together and finish them off with sweetened cream and fresh berries?

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white
1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1 cup (about 4 ounces) fresh blueberries

1 cup (about 4 ounces) fresh raspberries

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Line with parchment paper, allowing a 1-inch overhang on long sides. Butter parchment; set aside. Whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.Put butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk.

3.Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until dark golden and a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Lift cakes out; let cool completely on rack. Trim tops of cakes level. Cakes can be stored at room temperature, covered, up to 1 day.

4.Put cream and confectioners' sugar into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a leaf tip (such as Ateco #113). Pipe a ruffled pattern on tops of cakes. Pile blueberries in center of 1 cake, and raspberries in center of the other.

What are your plans for the 4th?  Does your family have a Fourth of July tradition?