Sugar and spice and everything nice...............
........... is a perfect description for this fantastic Brown Sugar & Pumpkin Pie-Spiced Pound Cake w Caramel Icing - quite lovely with a cup of afternoon tea on a cool autumn day while watching silently swirling, brilliantly colored leaves floating resplendent in their final glory to the embracing earth.
I love all the seasons, but I believe fall is my favorite; I love cool, crisp morning walks, sweatshirts, warm fuzzy socks, geese winging their way South honking to each other in delight, the first fires in the hearth, the warm seasonal culinary flavors... but most of all, I love the technicolor, breathtaking beauty that seems to be everywhere I look. It reminds me that we have a God who is magnificently creative and kind..... blessing us with amazing beauty, day after day, season after season, year after year. He makes Himself so visible everywhere we cast our eyes and yet, He's .......invisible! Wow! One of my favorite songs is Invisible God by Andrew Peterson; the lyrics of this song express perfectly what I'm trying to say! Check it out!
I got a bit side-tracked, but I just couldn't help myself so...... back to the cake. It is wonderful with that cup of tea but I can think of all kinds of other times and ways to enjoy this moist, flavorful cake and I bet you can too! Whenever you decide to serve this Brown Sugar & Pumpkin Pie-Spiced Pound Cake w/ Caramel Icing, I promise, you won't be disappointed nor will your guests!
P.S. I almost forgot to tell you about the wonderful frosting; deep caramel-colored, brown sugary-and-buttery-sweet.............let's just say it's better than any candy you'll ever eat .........and quite addictive also! The pic below is what I saw shortly after I gave the "chief tester" a piece to sample!
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie-Spiced Pound Cake w/ Caramel Glaze
Ingredients for cake:
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk (I use skim because that's what we usually have)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk (I use skim because that's what we usually have)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco) Don't be tempted to use all butter, the shortening makes the cake very moist while the butter gives wonderful flavor.
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
5 eggs
Ingredients for caramel glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions for cake:
1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10 inch tube pan* with baking spray. (baking spray is not the same as cooking spray - cooking spray is just oil, baking spray has shortening and flour and will keep your cake from sticking)
2. Place flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, butter, eggs and milk (in that order) in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed (# 1 on a stand mixer) for 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium (# 6 on a stand mixer) and mix for exactly 2 minutes.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tester inserted into cake is clean when removed - no wet batter. Check cake after 50 minutes - if top is getting too brown, cover with foil until done.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, then leave it to cool for 1 hour before icing with caramel glaze.
Directions for caramel glaze:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the milk and let the icing come to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well with a whisk or spoon.
1. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the milk and let the icing come to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well with a whisk or spoon.
3. Place a large piece of foil on countertop. Place cake (on wire cooling rack) on top of foil. Slowly pour glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to drip down the sides. Repeat several times until all icing is used up. If you like more icing, scrape icing that has dripped onto foil back into the saucepan and gently re-heat and repeat glazing procedure.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tester inserted into cake is clean when removed - no wet batter. Check cake after 50 minutes - if top is getting too brown, cover with foil until done.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, then leave it to cool for 1 hour before icing with caramel glaze.
Directions for caramel glaze:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the milk and let the icing come to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well with a whisk or spoon.
3. Place a large piece of foil on countertop. Place cake (on wire cooling rack) on top of foil. Slowly pour glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to drip down the sides. Repeat several times until all icing is used up. If you like more icing, scrape icing that has dripped onto foil back into the saucepan and gently re-heat and repeat glazing procedure.
* I gave this recipe to a friend a number of years back- her bundt pan was smaller than mine and she had quite a mess in her oven after the cake started rising. I measured my pan and it hold 15 cups of water to the brim - if your pan is a lot smaller than this, you might want to divide the batter and make a small loaf cake also.
Brown Sugar & Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pound Cake w/ Caramel Glaze
Ingredients for cake:
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk (I use skim because that's what we usually have)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco) Don't be tempted to use all butter, the shortening makes the cake very moist while the butter gives wonderful flavor.
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
5 eggs
Ingredients for caramel glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions for cake:
1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10 inch tube pan* with baking spray. (baking spray is not the same as cooking spray - cooking spray is just oil, baking spray has shortening and flour and will keep your cake from sticking)
2. Place flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, butter, eggs and milk (in that order) in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed (# 1 on a stand mixer) for 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium (# 6 on a stand mixer) and mix for exactly 2 minutes.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tester inserted into cake is clean when removed - no wet batter. Check cake after 50 minutes - if top is getting too brown, cover with foil until done.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, then leave it to cool for 1 hour before icing with caramel glaze.
Directions for caramel glaze:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and blends with the brown sugar to a smooth sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the milk and let the icing come to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well with a whisk or spoon.
3. Place a large piece of foil on countertop. Place cake (on wire cooling rack) on top of foil. Slowly pour glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to drip down the sides. Repeat several times until all icing is used up. If you like more icing, scrape icing that has dripped onto foil back into the saucepan and gently re-heat and repeat glazing procedure.
* I gave this recipe to a friend a number of years back- her bundt pan was smaller than mine and she had quite a mess in her oven after the cake started rising. I measured my pan and it hold 15 cups of water to the brim - if your pan is a lot smaller than this, you might want to divide the batter and make a small loaf cake also.
Adapted from The Los Angeles Times 2007
Adapted from The Los Angeles Times 2007
Looks delicious! One of my favorite things in the world is brown sugar and this recipe calls for it more than once so it is bound to be a favorite! The glaze looks amazing too.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my family would eat the whole thing in one go - really! that caramel glaze is just divine :)
ReplyDeleteMary x
Chris-
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so good and perfect for Fall. Definitely going to make this!
You described the season so vividly I think I was there for a second or two.
ReplyDeleteThis cake looks like it would best be enjoyed in front of a fire curled up with a warm drink and a good book. Yum!
Oh my gosh that Glaze!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am going to make this for an event I have coming up, can you please tell me what size bundt pan you used for it? It looks like a fairly large cake so maybe a 12 cup bundt?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for stopping by! Yes I do use a 12 cup bunt pan. If yours is smaller just put some of the batter in a small bread pan and make an extra smaller cake.
ReplyDelete