Grits Pound Cake

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground white cornmeal
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup stone-ground white cornmeal
• ½ cup stone-ground white or yellow grits
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 5 large egg whites

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon cornmeal.
3. Place 1¾ cups sugar, butter, rind, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream.
4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, ½ cup cornmeal, grits, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring to combine.
5. Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into batter; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool cake completely on wire rack.