Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Cake

Silly me. I should have photographed the cake before placing it on the table in front of the ravening horde (aka my family).

Tired of snow and yearning for old-fashioned comfort, I whipped up a brown sugar cake straight out of grandma’s kitchen. Dark brown sugar, a drop of bourbon and good vanilla give it butterscotch undertones. Moist, light and not-too-sweet, I thought it would be the idea accompaniment for afternoon tea. Mom and I had Earl Grey, the others opted for herbal. Either way, this cake was a perfect with a hot beverage on a cold day.

How good was it? If you look closely at the photo above, someone — who shall remain nameless — nicked a corner when I wasn’t looking.

You can’t see the damage in this close up, but you can admire the light, golden texture.

My father, whose dessert repertoire is limited to lemon pie and shortbreads, begrudgingly admitted, “The crusty top is the only redeeming feature.” He was quick to add, with a hint of sadness in his voice, “It’s not lemon pie…”

While everyone else loved the cake, we agreed with Dad about the crunchy top. So, to get the best crunchy-top-to-soft-insides ratio, I made a batch in cupcake form. If you hurry, there are still some left…

If you’re snowed in, too busy, or out of town you can always make some yourself. Just don’t invite my dad.

Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Cake
Printable recipe

Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp bourbon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F if baking a cake, 375F if making cupcakes.
2. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or line a large muffin tin with papers (makes 12 cupcakes).
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisky the eggs until frothy. Whisky in sugar until well blended.
5. Fold flour mixture into eggs until just moist. Do not over-mix.
6. Add milk, melted butter, vanilla and bourbon. Mix until smooth.
7. Fill baking tins.
8. Bake cake 35-40 minutes, cupcakes 20-25 minutes. In both cases, bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool for 5 – 10 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
10. Eat the day it’s baked. This cake doesn’t keep well for long (or so I’ve been told).