Pound Cake With Brown Sugar Frosting
- Ready In:
- 1hr 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
1 cake
- Serves:
- 14
ingredients
-
CAKE
- 6 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising, plus more for pans)
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1⁄4 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 lb unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more for pans, room temperature)
- 2 1⁄2 cups lightly packed light-brown sugar
- 12 large eggs, divided
- 1 1⁄2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
-
FROSTING
- 1 1⁄4 cups lightly packed light-brown sugar
- 5 large egg whites
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
directions
-
CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
- Butter and flour two 8-by-3-inch square cake pans.
- Line pans with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine unsalted butter and light-brown sugar.
- Beat on medium high until fluffy, about 10 minutes.
- Add eggs,one at a time, beating well after each addition
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture, alternating with milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Smooth the tops; bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 90 minutes.
- Rotate pans after 45 minutes to promote even baking.
- Transfer to a cooling rack.
- Cool in pans 10 minutes.
- Remove from pans; cool completely while making brown-sugar-meringue buttercream frosting.
-
ASSEMBLE CAKE:
- Using a serrated knife, trim cakes so each is level, even, and about 2 inches high.
- Cut one cake into a 6-inch square; set aside.
- Reserve excess cake for another use.
- Cut second cake into two smaller squares, one 3-3/4 inches and the other 2-1/4 inches.
- Brush top and sides of each cake with a pastry brush to remove crumbs; set aside.
- From a sturdy piece of cardboard, or 3/16-inch foam board, cut out one cake board for each layer.
- Place trimmed layers onto their corresponding boards.
- Using an offset spatula, coat each cake with a thin layer of buttercream to seal in the crumbs.
- Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer 3/4 cup buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a number 5 plain round tip; set aside.
- With remaining buttercream, cover each layer with a final coat of buttercream, using an offset spatula to smooth the icing.
- Place cakes in refrigerator to set, about 20 minutes.
- Loosen the middle-size cake from its base; carefully center it on the larger cake.
- Repeat with smallest cake.
- Pipe dot design on cake; chill if not serving immediately.
- Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours before serving.
-
FOR THE FROSTING:
- In the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer, combine light-brown sugar and egg whites.
- Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water; whisk until mixture becomes hot to the touch, about 5 minutes.
- Return bowl to mixer stand. Whip mixture with the whisk attachment until cooled, about 12 minutes.
- Switch to paddle attachment; add butter 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Stir in vanilla.
- If not using immediately, transfer to an airtight container, and store at room temperature up to 8 hours.
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