Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Story

You'll see a lot of recipes call for ‘creaming' the butter and sugar (similar for crisco, etc.). This simply refers to a thorough mixing of the ingredients until they are fully combined. Unlike most steps you can go higher speed and mix longer without worrying about over mixing. Just be careful to start a bit slow so you don't throw the sugar out of the bowl.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Light Brown Sugar
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1 ½ cups Shortening (or Unsalted Butter)
• 5 Large Eggs
• 3 cups Plain Flour
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• 1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 cup Chopped Pecans
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F, lightly grease a cake pan (e.g., spray with Pam), combine dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) in one bowl, and add the flavoring to the milk.
2. Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Add the sugar gradually, beat until the mixture is creamy (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding the next.
5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and flavored milk (1/3 dry, ½ milk, 1/3 dry, ½ milk, 1/3 dry), just mixing long enough to integrate. Be careful not to over mix.
6. Fold the chopped nuts into the mixture.
7. Pour batter into cake pan. Gently tap on the pan to allow any air bubbles to be released.
8. Cook for approximately 1 ½ hours, checking for doneness by using a toothpick in the center (looking for only a few crumbs stick when removed).
9. Allow the cake to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pan.