Finally.
I did a little baking tonight. And I can feel the stress roll right off me.
Is that weird?
Baking does that for me. It must be the measuring and the mixing and the anticipation of seeing the final product. And perhaps the peacefulness of being in the kitchen. Whatever it is, baking makes me happy.
Tonight I tried a recipe I’ve never made before for Brown Sugar Pound Cake from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. It’s really a very simple recipe and I decided I couldn’t go wrong with butter, brown sugar, eggs and flour. Plus, the batter tasted divine.
Yes, I licked the bowl. Just a little.
That was after I transferred most of the batter to several holiday-themed mini loaf containers that I found at World Market and I’m going to deliver a few of these as gifts tomorrow.
And I might keep one at home. Just in case I need something to go with my coffee in the morning. 🙂
Brown Sugar Pound Cakes
Recipe source: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pans (or up to six 5-3/4 by 3-1/4 inch miniloaves); set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined.
Add the reserved flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, and smooth with an offset spatula.
Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean – about 1 hour (or 45 minutes if you are using miniloaves). Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cakes onto the rack to cool completely. Cakes can be kept at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 days.