Week 9: Peanut Butter Pound Cake

Welcome to March...National Peanut Month!

Strangely enough, it is also:

• National Caffeine Awareness Month (if you are unaware of caffeine, especially in coffee, you should really investigate it),
• National Celery Month (I can only imagine how celery growers celebrate?),
• National Flour Month (good thing it gets a holiday!),
• National Frozen Food Month (hence the freezer with coupons on sale at the grocery store),
• National Noodle Month (this leads to lots of celebrating one can do),
• National Sauce Month (surely celebrated in Louisiana), and last but not least,
• National Nutrition Month (I have always believed that desserts are the most important piece of the food pyramid!).

In addition, March 1 is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day and tomorrow, March 4 is National Poundcake Day.

As you know, I attempted a creme-filled poundcake cupcake in Week 2. Despite my efforts to create a fluffier poundcake, the cupcakes were very dense and could not be filled properly. However, I do love a good poundcake.

Come to find out, my Grandma Harris, whom I referenced in Week 7 while creating the double-layer coffee cake, she also made poundcakes routinely. From scratch. Unlike what I learned this weekend...she actually made her streusel-style cakes from a box! No wonder I couldn't find her recipe! I learned this because my mother joined me for the baking today. She helped with the drizzle and determining the flavor it should be...good call, Mama!

For the recipe, I decided to go to Rosie's Bakery baking book. She had a recipe for cream cheese pound cake (pg 84). But since this was the month of the peanut, I modified it to include peanut butter instead, and thus cut the sugar a bit. And, thanks to Mama, added a lemon drizzle. According to Papa, it was dense and rich and he ate a large piece. I hope you enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pound Cake

Ingredients
3 sticks butter, unsalted, room temperature
2 1/2 c sugar
1 c peanut butter, creamy (I used reduced fat; I suggest if you use regular that you cut down a 1/4 stick of butter)
1 T pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 c flour

Drizzle
3 c confectioner's sugar
2 t lemon extract
2 T light vanilla soy milk

Mix up drizzle in your stand mixer. Add additional soy milk as needed to make a drizzle that is not too thick and not too thin. This is all up to your taste!

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a tube pan (I use spray oil).

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla in your stand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time on medium until blended. Mix a bit more after all eggs are in. Mix in flour on low by the spoonful until incorporated. Batter will be thick.

Spoon into prepared pan. Bake until golden and firm to the touch and a toothpick comes put clean, about 1 hour 23 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan. Remove onto a cake plate. Add drizzle, cut, and serve!

Adapted from The Rosie's Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg