Million Dollar Pound Cake

Well, 3 posts in a week and all three back to back, yes I know. We are going a little nuts making up for the things we have made and not posted.

Between holidays, which are thankfully over, and now with just being busy with work and more it's been a little challenging to get to posting. We will try to do better. I also can't say I have been baking much let alone has Mike or I been cooking a lot of anything that has been blog worthy. Mostly average food that isn't worth talking about (spaghetti, breakfast for dinner, etc). Just haven't had a lot of new recipes or recipes we have created.

So, now that we are back into the normal swing of things I have gotten my baking bug back. So, the other night I was bored....really bored. I am still on the quest for Mighty Melt bread but have yet to replicated it. So I've been making bread in my bread machine rather than buying a loaf since my local Wonder Bread outlet went out of business with Hostess.

But this is not about bread, not at all. This is about cake. Delicious, moist, and densely delicious cake. There is a reason this recipe is called "Million Dollar Pound Cake." One reason is probably because it require 6 eggs and a full pound of butter. If you notice a lot of pound cake recipes don't actually require a pound of butter anymore.

Much like the loaf pound cake I made after the million dollar pound cake. That one only requires 1 stick of butter (1/4 pound). So maybe it's just the size of the loaf or cake you are making, I suppose. I did make that too, that is what these delicious dense muffins are. That is the basic Pound Cake Loaf which I chose to turn into muffins for ease of eating. Most cakes make great muffins.

This particular recipe required unsweetened applesauce but I only had apple butter. So this cupcake had a stronger flavor of spices (cinnamon and cloves).

Pound Cake Loaf (cupcakes)

Pound Cake Loaf cut in half (cupcake)

In any event, this cake is by far the kind you want to bake when going to a nice dinner party or when the in-laws are coming over.

This is not created in a loaf style either. This is baked in a tube pan (or bundt if you feel like being fancy, like I did below). I have this awesome tube pan that is also spring form. It's a spring form but can be turned into a tube pan that looks like a bundt. It was amazing. I also have a standard angel food pan which I used last time I made this cake.

Million Dollar Pound Cake

I halved the recipe earlier this week because I didn't want to use a pound of butter (all the butter I had) nor did I feel like wiping out half of my eggs on hand. I also have neglected to replace my almond extract so I ended up using rum extract in it's place which has also now run out. I don't care for buying extracts due to the price, but that's what happens when you love baking.

So here you go.

Million-Dollar Pound Cake
Prep: 20 min      Bake: 1 hour 40 min

2 cups (4 sticks - 1 lb) butter, soft
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour, just until blended. Stir in extracts. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees (F) for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate syrup for an added touch.

Makes 16 servings.

I will warn you, this has 497 calories per slice ;) Just make sure you're ok with that.

Pound Cake Loaf (a lighter option)
Prep: 15 min     Bake: 45 min + cooling

1/2 cup butter, soft
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (or apple butter if you want more of a spiced cake)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel (or a squirt or two of lemon juice as I did)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
In a small mixing bowl, cream butter, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and lemon peel. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture just until blended.

Transfer to an 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan (or put into cupcake liners in cupcake tin) coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 servings

Now these only have around 185 calories.

Now go out and bake something extravagant.

Buttered Rum --- um, YUM!

How did everyone like the Misters post? Mike, I think did a wonderful job. Maybe he'll do more posts in the near future.

So another weekend has come and gone, (and this week is almost over, phew) and what did I do? Bake of course. I was home by myself this weekend (minus the day I spent at my parents place with my aunt). So what did I bake you may be asking, as I'm sure me hanging out with my aunt to pick up the "Insanity" workout is probably not that fascinating. I think it was fun and a good time. I rarely get to see this aunt so it's always nice to hang out. (Dad's side of the family, very much my dad's sister). I so very much love my Aunt Judy. She's a superstar and a healthy lady to boot.

So Buttermilk, I refuse to go to the store and buy buttermilk that will end up going bad in my fridge because I forget about it and only use a little bit. So I opt to make my own substitute. I take 1 tbsp of vinegar (in this case apple cider though I generally opt for white - having just ran out of white vinegar due to a bad potato bag incident where I needed a stronger - more natural cleaner to get the smell out of my kitchen. Note: rotten potatoes reek and make a mess on your counter. Be warned.) So 1 tbsp vinegar and then add to the 1 cup line enough milk to make 1 cup total. So you're not using 1 cup of milk, it's 1 cup minus a 1 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp vinegar. So then let it sit for about 5 minutes to really become buttermilky (is that even a word - spell check is saying no).

So at this point it's time to start making cake. I tried to bring all ingredients to room temperature so they would be easier to work with as well as bake better. I'm finding this is the best idea but ultimately sometimes you just want to bake, RIGHT NOW, and just can't wait for ingredients to "thaw". That's when I zap the butter for a few seconds in the microwave to soften and put eggs in last and if hot ingredients go in with the eggs I temper them so they don't curdle. It's the little things.

So I added all the necessary ingredients and of course I used real rum (Bacardi if you can see from the first picture) in the batter because it would bake off, more or less. (I was taking this to my mothers' church event mind you, with children.) So I decided to use rum extract for the buttered rum glaze.

Not having a pretty bundt pan like the blog I found this recipe from (here) I used my angel food pan. It's a tube pan, yes, it has a hole in the middle, yes. OK, same difference, yes? Yes :) It turned out quite lovely if I do say so myself.

How gorgeous is that!? No it's not pretty like a bundt cake but man it looked amazing.

Now for the glaze. Glazes amaze me at how simple they are. Usually combined with powdered sugar and some liquid or sugar and liquid boiled together in a sauce pan. SIMPLE! I love simple and easy recipes. That just goes to show you that recipes aren't as hard as they seem sometimes. Just take a minute to read it through and find out.

So this glaze was rum extract, sugar and butter. Oh how I love butter - I avoid it usually when eating but for baking, it it essential. I will sometimes use real butter - unfortunately with the cost currently and me not actually selling these baked goods, I use Blue Bonnet Regular. Seems to do the job just fine - though I have made my mothers cookies with real butter for Christmas and may I just say - cookies taste about 100x better with real butter. So I'm sure cake would too :)

So here we have the glaze, lumpy butter and then it melts down into a sugary rum glaze. I could eat just this, turn it into a candy and nibble away. But I won't because it's for the cake, which I soon realized it was A LOT of glaze for one cake. Though I believe in not wasting something or having to have it left over in my kitchen, or I'll eat it and lose my feminine physique from overdoing the sweets. I work hard to be able to splurge on occasion :)

So in the end I ended up spooning the glaze over the top of the cake, after poking numerous fork holds into the top with a long tine fork.

And this is what a slice looks like.

As you can see the glaze made it about 1/4 of the way down the cake. It was all still warm, cake and glaze, when I added. I really only at the top and sides of my slice but it was delicious none the less. It was a hit at the church too as I went home with only 2 slices left. Makes my day when people enjoy the goodies.

Buttermilk Rum Pound Cake:
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp rum extract (or Rum)
4 eggs
3 cups plain flour (all purpose)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (or see substitution above)

Directions:
1. Combine butter and sugar, beat well.
2. Add flavorings and eggs, blend well.
3. Add flour and all remaining ingredients, blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
4. Pour batter into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean from center.
6. Invert cake onto serving plate to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or use butter rum sauce.

Butter Rum Sauce
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter + 3 Tbsp
1 1/2 tsp rum extract (or rum)

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients
2. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. DO NOT BOIL
3. With long-tined fork, pierce cake 10-12 times.
4. Slowly pour hot sauce over warm cake.

*Notes: I used unflavored dental floss to cut my cake - it's cleaner and doesn't shred the cake like knives can. Try it - double dog dare you!

I also did the following over the weekend.

Faux Ice Cream Balls

Faux Ice Cream Balls inside

Faux Ice Cream Balls (as I call them), I mixed some funfetti fake bake mix (yes that box of mix normal people buy) and the can of frosting together (it was probably about 1 1/2 cups of mix and 3/4 of the jar of frosting). I mixed until thick and could be formed into little balls. Then covered them in chocolate almond bark. So due to my impatience for the chocolate to harden I stuck them in the freezer and promptly forgot they were there until getting ice later that night. So I tried one and to my amazement they taste kind of like those ice cream nibs (you know the ice cream bites dipped in chocolate and are poppable, yeah those!) but home made and you can make them as big or as small as you like. Oh so dangerously delicious and so very simple. GO, DO, MAKE!

Rainbow Cake

I also like to make rainbow cake, this is diet 7-UP rainbow cake. 12 oz can of diet 7-UP, 1pkg lemon cake mix. Mix soda and mix. Separate into 6 bowls, add colors and layer in ROYGBIV style. Bake at recommended time and temp according to pan and viola! You have super moist and lower cal cake. Add a lemon glaze or whipped cream for a sweet treat that doesn't break the calorie bank. Delicious and simple yet again. So good :)

So as Mike has told you, I've helped him eat healthier and start using Myfitnesspal.com. Super helpful site, I use it on my phone all the time to track EVERYTHING I eat and do. And now I'm doing the insanity workout - yes, I am insane. ;) So if the baking trails off, it's because I'm laying on my living room floor panting for air and trying not to die. Wish me luck.

Now, go out and cook!