Pound Cake Challenge - Week 4: Caramel Pound Cake

Ingredients for Cake:
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for Caramel Frosting:
1 (16-ounce) package light brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
Dash of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions for Cake:
1. Beat sugars and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add oil and beat until blended.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
4. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes, remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.
7. Drizzle with Caramel Frosting.


Directions for Caramel Frosting:
1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring often. Boil, stirring constantly, 3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, add baking powder and vanilla.
3. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened.
4. Drizzle quickly over cake.


Roll Call for the Caramel Pound Cake:



Mixing the white sugar, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar with the butter.



Added the vegetable oil.



Remember to crack your eggs one at the time in a separate bowl before adding.



Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until the yolk disappears.



Now, we're ready for the milk (I used skim because that's what we drink at my house) and the flour/baking powder/salt mixture.



Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.

This is the photo of the vanilla being added. I felt it necessary to explain that because obviously you would never know it from this photo.



Resist the urge to use the baking sprays for the tube pan. They have their place just not in the pound cake world. Please grease with shortening or butter and then dust with flour. It will make me feel so much better.



When I test my pound cakes, I use a long wooden skewer.



Here's our cake from the underside. She's a beauty.



Now while the cake is cooling, let's work on the Caramel Icing.


This is the butter warming up to the evaporated milk.



Add the brown sugar and salt and bring to a boil.



After boiling for 3 minutes, add the vanilla and baking powder.

Then mix with a hand-held mixer for about 5 to 7 minutes.

(Oh my word, I just realized that my finger is in the photo. I'm so sorry. But in my defense, do you realize how difficult it is to hold a camera in your left hand while holding a whirling mixer in your right?)



It will get all thick and lovely.



Pour the warm caramel icing over your cooled cake. 

Okay, I have a confession to make. I accidentally got a box of dark brown sugar for the icing instead of light brown. So my icing is darker than it normally would be, just as flavorful, but darker.

(Wow - that cake carrier is bright. Kinda blinds you, doesn't it? This cake was on the go to share with some friends.)




Yum, yum, yum!!!!