brown sugar pound cake: on being happy

You know how sometimes you just have one of those days when nothing seems to be going right? Well it was kind of like that for me a couple of days ago when I tried out some recipes from a new cookbook and none of them seemed to turn out like they should have. That’s when you start to wonder if it’s you or the book to blame. Probably a bit of both, but it still really bothers me when things don’t work out as well as they should. That’s when I have to take a deep breath, relax and tell myself that I’ve at least learned something for the next time.

And that usually does always seem to be the case; I always learn something new, so I guess it wasn’t a waste after all. I always try to not have any regrets in life because something can be learnt from every situation that goes awry. It’s also good way to make yourself stay focused the next time you find yourself in a less-than-pleasant situation. I truly feel that life is a balancing act, always full of ups and downs. The great thing about being down though, is that things can only go up from then on.

And that’s when you find yourself eating a delicious, and deliciously simple, brown sugar pound cake. I know I made a pound cake not too long ago, but I couldn’t help trying this one out. Pound cakes are a staple in my house. They’re perfect as a little snack with afternoon tea or for picnics in the park. I decided to add a little extra something sweet by pouring a maple syrup glaze. It’s really the perfect touch of sweetness to an all-around beautifully aromatic cake.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use either one of two substitutes: sour cream or plain yoghurt. In either case, you would use the same amount required for buttermilk. You can also freeze one of the cakes for another occasion.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

Yields two 8 ½ by 4 ½ -inch loaves

Ingredients

For the cakes:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 ¼ cups packed light-brown sugar
5 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk (I used sour cream)

For the glaze (for both cakes, or half for one):

1/3 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup

Procedure

Preheat oven to 325^oF. Grease two 8 ½ by 4 ½ -inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper with overhangs for easy removal. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture in batches alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat only until just combined – do not overmix. Divide batter between loaf pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 1 hour until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Rotate the pans halfway through baking for even browning. Transfer to a wire rack to cool then remove the cakes from pans to cool completely. Keep in a cake dome at room temperature up to 4 days.

For the glaze, combine the icing sugar and maple syrup and mix until smooth. Add more maple syrup if desired and drizzle over cakes.