Pound Cake Surprise, 3rd Place Winner

Ingredients

Pauline Morris, Jefferson County – Third Place Winner

3 cups sugar

1 cup butter

½ cup Crisco

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

 1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:

1- 8 oz. package cream cheese

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup real lemon juice (concentrate)

1 tsp. almond extract

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

12 oz. Cool Whip

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour tube cake pan.  Cream sugar, butter, and Crisco.  Add eggs beating after each addition.  Sift flour and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients alternately with vanilla and milk.  Beat well.  Bake at 325 for 1 ½ hours.

Filling:

Invert cooled cake onto serving plate.  With sharp knife, carefully remove 1 inch layer from top of cake.  Set aside.  Make cavity in cake – reserving pieces – leaving 1 inch on bottom and 1 inch on side and center.  In large bowl, beat cream cheese gradually adding condensed milk, lemon juice, and almond extract.  Fold in reserved cake pieces, strawberries and 1 cup Cool Whip.  Fill cavity of cake with strawberry mixture and replace top of cake.  Chill 3 hours.  Frost with remaining cool whip and garnish with fresh strawberries.