Brown Sugar Pear Pound Cake

Source: Better Homes and Gardens **Note: For Pear Sauce you will need 1 - 500 mg vitamin C tablet (to prevent browning).

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 pieces

Ingredients

• Pound Cake

• 3 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups butter, softened
• 3  cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1  tablespoon vanilla
• 5  eggs
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 1⁄4 cup brandy or 1⁄4 cup pear brandy or 1⁄4 cup  pear liqueur or 1⁄4 cup  orange juice
• 2 1⁄4 cups  firm ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 -3  teaspoons  orange peel, finely shredded
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄3 cup brandy or 1⁄3 cup pear brandy or 1⁄3 cup  pear liqueur or 1⁄3 cup  orange juice

• Pear Sauce

• 4  large bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1⁄3 cup  pear nectar or 1⁄3 cup  pear juice
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Butter a 10-inch fluted tube pan.
2. Coat lightly with flour, shaking out excess; set pan aside.
3. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
4. In a very large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
5. Add brown sugar and vanilla; beat on high speed until mixture is smooth and light, about 3 minutes.
6. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until combined.
7. Alternately add milk and the 1/4 cup brandy to flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition and stopping occasionally to scrape the bowl.
8. Fold in pears and orange peel.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
10. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 1 hour 10 minutes or until golden brown and a long wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.
11. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
12. For glaze, combine granulated sugar and the 1/3 cup brandy in a small saucepan.
13. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just boils and sugar is dissolved.
14. Remove cake from pan and place on wire rack.
15. Place a piece of waxed paper under the wire rack.
16. With a pastry brush, brush the warm glaze over the entire surface of the cake.
17. Cool cake completely.
18. Serve with Pear Sauce.
19. To make Pear Sauce: In a medium saucepan combine pears, lemon juice, pear nectar, sugar, and vitamin C tablet.
20. Bring to boiling over medium heat; reduce heat.
21. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until pears are soft.
22. If mixture seems dry and in danger of scorching, add a bit more nectar to pan.
23. Remove from heat.
24. Cool slightly.
25. Puree mixture in a food processor or blender; strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
26. Stir in vanilla.
27. Taste sauce and adjust sugar if necessary.
28. Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 72 hours.
29. Makes about 2 cups.
30. Make-Ahead Tip: Store cooled cake tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days.