Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 c. chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
• 4 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. evaporated milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Glaze:

• 4 Tb. butter (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Toast chopped pecans in frying pan on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Let cool.

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until the yellow yolk disappears.

Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk and vanilla, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in pecans. Pour or spoon batter into a greased and floured 12-cup tube pan. Place pan in a COLD OVEN. Set oven temperature at 300°.

Bake for 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean (my need extra baking time). Cool in pan on a wire rack 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cake can be made up to three days ahead of serving if kept in airtight container.

Prepare the glaze on the day of serving: Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in both sugars and salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add cream and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Poke holes in the cake with a skewer or toothpick. Paint glaze on top and sides of cake with pars brush. Keep adding glaze to top of cake until it no longer soaks in. There will be glaze left over.