Dried Cherry Toasted Pecan and Sour Cream Pound Cake

By chelyc13

Ingredients

• Nonstick baking spray
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1 teas dark rum
• 2 oz unsalted butter, softened (4tblsp)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 teas pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 teas baking powder
• 1/4 teas baking soda
• 1/4 teas freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teas kosher or fine grained sea salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
• 1 tblsp confectioners' sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Position rack in the center of the oven ad preheat the oven to 350. Spray the cavities of the desired baking pan and place the pan on a baking sheet.

2. Marinate the cherries in the rum in a small bowl fo 15 minutes.

3. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the flat beater attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand held mixer on medium speed until it's fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and blend thoroughly.

4. Use a fork to lightly beat together the egg yolks and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and blend well. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

5. Over a medium size bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the nutmeg and salt and toss to blend completely. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly. Add the sour cream to the batter and blend well. Then add the remaining flour mixture and blend thoroughly. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure even mixing.

6. Mix the pecans and dried cherries together, then add them to the batter and stir to blend thoroughtly.

7. Use a spoon or a 1 1/2 inch round ice cream scoop to divide the batter evnely among the cavities of the cupcake pan. Shake them gently to even out the batter and eliminate any air bubbles.

8. Bake the cakes for 25 to 28 minutes, until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with no crumbs clinging to it.

9. Store the cake between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. To freeze up to 3 months, wrap the container snugly in several layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Use a large piece of masking tape and an inedible marker to label the date of the contents. For frozen, defrost the cakes overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.