Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Brown Sugar and Almond Pound Cake

Lately my dessert tooth is veering more towards dense, moist cakes that aren't overly sweet.  The kind of sweets that are appropriate for dessert one night and breakfast the next day (come on, you know you do it!).  I want something I can dip into coffee, or spoon some Greek yogurt and honey on top of, or splash with homemade berry sauce.  When Aunt Nesi, Uncle Rob, Summer and Luke came over for dinner, I knew I would have to try the Oh! Brown Sugar! And Almond Pound Cake from my copy of Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey.
Not only does this smell amazing in the oven, but it's even better in your mouth!  There's a delicate nutty flavor, along with a slightly chewy edge from the sugar.  Please just make it.  STAT.

Oh!  Brown Sugar!  And Almond Pound Cake (from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor, 2007)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. almond meal or almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract (I omitted this, and it didn't mess up the cake.  It can only improve the taste!)
6 large eggs, room temperature
1. Preheat oven to 325.  Spray a bundt pan liberally with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.  Gradually beat in brown sugar and powdered sugar, and continue beating until pale and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.
4. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Fold the flour and almond mixture into the mixture by hand, using a rubber spatula, until no traces of flour remain and batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 75-90 minutes.
6. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then reverse onto a plate to finish cooling. Cut into however many slices you'd like and gobble up!
 
 

4 comments:

  1. definitely trying this one too! looks amazing!

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  2. I have to admit I hauled my leftover cake all the way home with me. I toasted it for my breakfast a couple of times and it was even better the second time around. I think this would be a hit for our TN rendevous especially with the sauce, you know grandma loves raspberries!
    aunt nesi

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  3. I'll definitely bring it down, then! It's so, so perfect for breakfast or dessert; glad you liked it, Aunt Nesi!

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  4. I made this yesterday to bring to a dinner party - it was yummy and actually had fresh raspberries to make the sauce - mmmm!

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