Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Smooth and dense of texture, this cake has a wonderful caramel flavor.

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

At medium speed of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars for 4 or 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer running at low speed, add the oil and beat until incorporated; then, beat in the eggs, one at a time.

At low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until ingredients are blended; do not overbeat. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour into your prepared tube pan, and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove cake from oven and check doneness with a cake tester or toothpick. If your tester does not come out clean, bake for an additional 10 minutes, then test again.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Frost with Brown Sugar Frosting or Brown Sugar Icing (see recipe at Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Icing).