A Pound Lighter

This is my last post for about a week. Forrest and I are going skiing out West tomorrow until next Thursday. I won't be cooking - so I won't be blogging. I will promise to get some great ideas so I can hop back into the kitchen immediately upon our return. In my absence, make sure to give this cake a try.............

Brown Sugar Pound Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2000

Ingredients

• Cooking spray

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Coat a 12 cup Bundt Pan with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Beat the butter in a large bowl at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar

and vanilla,

beating until well-blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time,

beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk

, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Spoon the batter into prepared pan.

Even out the top of the batter with a spatula.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Sift powdered sugar over top of cake once cake is completley cooled. If you do this before the cooling process is complete, the sugar will melt.

Note: To freeze extra pound cake, let cake cool completely on a wire rack; then cut into individual slices. Remove excess air from the bag; then seal and place it in your freezer for up to four months. To thaw, let it stand at room temperature.

Note: You can use a 10-inch tube pan instead of the 12 cup Bundt pan. Just increase the oven temperature to 350º.

This cake was very yummy. The brown sugar gave the pound cake an almost caramel-like flavor. The cake was very crumbly (in a good way) and very moist. After I dusted the cake with powdered sugar I sprinkled it with some red and green decorative sugar to give the cake a little Christmas flare. I am not sure what is "light" about this cake besides the fact that it called for fat free milk, but who cares, it was delicious!