Mrs. Rodman’s Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Mrs. Rodman lived across the street from us growing up. She was a sweet, gentle old woman who loved to bake. She was in my parents’ Bible study class (for which her husband always donned a bow tie, hand-stitched by her). Every Sunday, she brought a warm pound cake, fresh out of the oven, with silky ribbons of butter throughout and the most perfect caramelized crust. My mom begged her for her recipe and, eventually, she kindly obliged. To this day, I follow her directions, written in cursive