Receta Caramel Pound Cake...
I just finished reading The Help, (order yourself a copy from Amazon) it was a wonderful book and I was very sad when it ended. Sad because I wanted to stay a bit longer with the characters I had come to love. It's the story of black maids working for white women in the American South in the 60's...touching, sweet, bitter, funny - I loved it. Of course, I also loved the mention of Caramel Cake that popped up several times in the book. It's a Southern thing - and no Southern ladies auxiliary luncheon (or funeral!) would be complete without one.
A few years ago I picked up a copy of My Mother's Southern Entertaining by James Villas with Martha Pearl Villas (and you can order it from Amazon, too). James Villas is the author of nine books on food and the good life and he worked as the food and wine editor of Town and Country Magazine for twenty-seven years...so the man knows of what he speaks! His mother, Martha Pearl, was famous for her cooking and even appeared on national TV in cooking segments and on Food Network. So, when you combine the sons knowledge of good food with his mother's years of experience, you get a fantastic cookbook...and this is where I found one of my all-time favorite go-to recipes...Caramel Pound Cake.
This cake is quite deceptive...your first bite will have you thinking, "it's okay, yeah, it's good" but by the time you take your second bite, the caramel frosting will have melted just enough on your tongue so that your taste buds are standing up and saluting! It's dense, pound cake crumb has a buttery-caramel taste from the THREE sticks of butter - yep, THREE! There are also six eggs in this cake...it's as rich as it is delicious. And it's easy to make...plus, if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, it will keep in the refrigerator for TWO weeks! Think about that...two weeks of savoring a slice-o-Heaven every afternoon at 3:00...something to live for!
Don't think of the caramel on a caramel apple...think of soft homemade caramels with a hint of vanilla because that's what this frosting is like...you don't have to have discount knowledge from a junior college to know this is dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good...5 dangs on the meter folks...it's definitely coma worthy - every buttery bite.
- Caramel Pound Cake - Adapted From My Mother's Southern Entertaining by James Villas with Martha Pearl Villas
- For the Cake:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- For the Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup milk (plus more if needed to thin frosting)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.
To make the cake: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium-size mixing bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together both of the sugars and the butter, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately, add the flour mixture and the milk to the cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until well blended and smooth but do not over-beat. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the knife (not a toothpick) inserted into the center of the cake comes out almost clean, about 1 hour. (I usually have to bake this cake about an hour and 15 to 20 minutes - but that's just my oven - start checking cake after an hour to see if the center is set by lightly touching to see if it bounces back a bit and feels firm. Be careful not to over-bake.) Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, then add the brown sugar and milk and stirring, bring the mixture almost to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes, then stir in the vanilla. Pour the caramel mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well, until blended and very smooth. If frosting seems too thick, add one tablespoon of milk at a time to thin.
Transfer the cake to a cake plate and frost the top and sides. Let the cake stand for at least 1 hour before serving. Serves at least 10.
(The mister cut himself a big ol' slice and started whistling as he made his way upstairs to eat his cake on the bed while watching TV...but what was it he was whistling? "I'm Back In The Saddle Again!" Eating dessert on the bed in front of the TV - yep, he's back in the saddle alright and there is peace in the valley.)