Thursday, August 19, 2010

Brown Sugar Pound Cake





Martha, Martha, Martha, you never let me down. Your brown sugar cake is complex in a non-complex way requiring no adornments other than a cup of tea. Its crisp, raised, caramelly edges and shiny top beckon you to have a little taste. Your kitchen (and if you're lucky your entire house) will be filled with the aroma of sweet butter and sugar similar to the smell of those ice cream shops that make their own cones.

This recipe gets some of its lift from baking powder. It is a little sweeter and fluffier than the rich & buttery, non chemically leavened Classic Pound Cake which is a staple at my house (also a Martha recipe).

Slice with a sharp, serrated knife to get thin, delicate slices.



***Tip Re: Lining Cake Pans***
I use butter wrappers to line my cake pans. This saves money and works especially well for loaf cakes like the one here.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Makes 2 - 8x4 1/2" cakes | Martha Stewart Baking Handbook

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 loaf pans. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. (It's best to use an electric mixer for this to incorporate air for leavening). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until combined.
3. Add flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Beat until combined then scrape into prepared pans.
4. Bake until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean, rotating pans halfway through. Bake time is approximately 1 hour. Cool completely then store at room temperature, well wrapped, up to 3 days.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Your description is drawing me in, it looks utterly fab

Juliana said...

Oh! I never baked pound cake... love the idea of using brown sugar...looks terrific!

Valerie Gamine said...

This looks/sounds delicious!

scrambledhenfruit said...

Love me some pound cake! Yours looks delicious!

egirlwonder said...

Great tip re: butter wrappers Tia!
You must be glad it is getting cooler - I can't imagine what baking must have been like during the heat wave!

Bergamot said...

simple cake and with brown sugar it would definitely taste great. Bookmarking this one.

cocoa and coconut said...

I love any cakes utilizing brown sugar because of the texture it gives. And you're right...a cup of tea and I'd be set!

Leslie said...

Mmm...yummy! It sounds like a great recipe to play around with, too.

SugarSweet said...

Sounds so delish! I gotta give this a try. Love the tip about the butter wrappers :) Thanks!

Tia said...

this would totally be an awesome recipe to play around with. and if you want to make petit fours out of it, the consistency is perfect and the cake is sturdy enough to do so.

Anonymous said...

Ok just tried was a little concerned because it seems so simple . Well it was and its delicious. This will be the perfect birthday cake for my husband.

Tia @ Buttercreambarbie said...

Thanks for the feedback! I hope your husband enjoys it. Pound cakes are my favorite. Take care!