Brown Sugar Pound Cake
May 31, 2007 posted by Linda Avery
by Nancie McDermott
from Southern Cakes
(Chronicle, 2007)
Serves 6 to 8
This makes a handsome cake with luscious caramel color and deep sweet flavor. It’s grand plain, but if you want a fancier finish, top it off with a drizzle of Quick Caramel Glaze.—Nancie McDermott
convert Ingredients
For the cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
One 1-pound box (about 2 3/4 cups) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
5 eggs
For the caramel glaze
1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Method
Make the cake
1. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to mix well. Stir the vanilla into the milk and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar in 3 batches, and then add all of the white sugar, beating well after each addition. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Add half the flour and then half the milk, beating at low speed only until the flour or milk disappears into the batter. Add in the rest of the flour and then the remaining milk, in the same way.
4. Quickly scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 325°F (160°C) for 1 hour and 10 minutes (55 to 60 minutes for loaf pans), or until the cake is nicely browned at the edges, springs back when touched lightly at the center, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel for 20 to 30 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan with a table knife and turn it out onto a wire rack or a plate to cool completely, top side up.
Make the caramel glaze
1. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to make a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk, and let the icing come to a gentle boil.
2. Stir well, remove from the heat, and add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla. Beat well with a mixer, whisk, or spoon for 1 or 2 minutes, until the glaze thickens and loses a little of its shine.
3. Use at once. If the glaze hardens, stir in 1 or 2 spoonfuls of evaporated milk to soften it.
Recipe © 2007 by Nancie McDermott. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
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[Jeremy Schweitzer] I served this cake to six friends after a light meal. I served it plain, since I didn’t make the caramel glaze. Everyone liked it. The texture was dense, and it was sweet without being overwhelmingly so. My only issue is that the servings as stated must be huge. Two of my friends had seconds and then I brought the leftovers to work the next day to get finished off (not everyone was there, but that still meant about five people had a slice). Overall, this was very simple to make and used only ingredients that I almost always have on hand. This will probably land in my “in case of emergency” recipe stash.
[J. Hutchinson] It’s like a praline in the body of a cake. The buttery and nutty crust that formed on the outside of the cake was almost crunchy, while the texture on the inside was smooth, dense, and moist like a good pound cake should be. If you want to take this cake right over the top, serve it with buttered pecan ice cream while it’s still a little warm. This recipe is an easy and delectable twist on the venerable pound cake.