Pound Cake

Wash all the salt from a pound of butter, then put it dry between the folds of a clean cloth and set away in a cold place. Sift one pound of pastry flour and separate the yolks and whites of twelve eggs. Cream the butter and flour together very thoroughly and beat the yolks of the eggs to a thick, almost white, froth with one pound of granulated sugar. Add one teaspoonful of vanilla and a grating of mace. Gradually add the creamed butter and flour to the sugar and egg mixture and whip well, then fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, pour into a well-greased and floured tube-pan, scatter a little grated lemon or orange rind over the top and bake in a moderate (350 F.) oven about one and a quarter hours.