Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Caramel Dunking Sauce

Sweet, sassy, and sure enough a cake that turns heads when it hits the table.

3 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups butter, softened, plus additional for greasing the pan

1 (1-pound) box light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

5 large eggs

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork; set aside. Into a small bowl, pour the milk and add the vanilla; set aside. With a mixer, beat the butter at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar in three batches, then add all of the white sugar, beating after each addition. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture and then half the milk, beating until the flour or milk has disappeared into the batter. Add the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk in the same way. Quickly scrape the batter into the tube pan and bake until the cake is nicely browned at the edges, springs back when lightly touched at the center and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan with a table knife and turn it out onto a wire rack or plate, then leave it to cool completely. Slice and serve with sauce

Caramel Dunking Sauce

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup whipping cream

In a medium saucepan combine sugars, syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil, about 5 – 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Stir in whipping cream. Pour into a jar and store in refrigerator.  It will thicken as it cools; serve warm with pound cake. Makes 2-1/2 cups.