Praline Pound Cake

By Ellan

Ingredients

• Pralines:
• 2 sticks butter, cut into cubes, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 egg separated
• 1 teas. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teas. baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup crumbled pralines
• 2 tab. dark rum
• 2 pints praline ice cream
• 1 cup warm caramel sauce, store bough
• shaker of powdered sugar
• springs of fresh mint
• 1/2 lb. light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tab. evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 tea. butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the vanilla until light and frothy. With the electric mixer on med.-low, gradually add the egg yolk mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix for about 4 minutes. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt together. With the mixer running, gradually add the flour and egg whites to the butter mixer, a third at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix. Fold in the pralines and rum. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. The cake can be served warm or cooled completely. For this recipe the cake should be slightly warm. Line a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread the ice cream evenly over the pan and cover the ice cream with the plastic wrap. Place the pan in the freezer and freeze until firm. Remove from the freezer and slice into about 2-inch slices. To assemble, place one piece of the pound cake in the center of each plate. Place a slice of the ice cream on top of the cake. Top the ice cream with the remaining piece of pound cake, forming a sandwich. Drizzle the entire sandwich with warm caramel sauce. Garnish each sandwich with powdered sugar and mint.

Pralines:
Mix sugar, salt, evaporated milk and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Stir in pecans and cook over med. heat until mixture reaches the soft ball stage. (234 to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer; if you spoon a drop of boiling syrup into a cup of ice water, it will form a soft ball that flattens easily between your fingers) Remove pan from heat and stir rapidly until mixture thickens. Drop pralines by teaspoonful, 1 inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets; let cool completely until firmed up. Store in an airtight container.