Recipe - Buttermilk Brown Sugar Pound Cake

2 One half cup Allpurpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
One half teaspoon Baking soda
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Unsalted butter, at room
temperature (2 sticks)
2 cup Firmly packed light brown
sugar
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
One fourth teaspoon Anise extract
1 cup Buttermilk
Orange Marmalade (Optional)
Grated rind of one orange
(Optional)
One half cup Plumped currants *

* NOTE: To plump currants, cover with boiling water in a small cup and let
stand for 10 minutes. Drain,

Preheat the oven to Moderate (350F). Grease a 10inch tube pan. Line the
bottom with waxed paper. Grease and dust with flour, tapping out the
excess.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large
bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar in another large bowl for about 3
minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as
needed.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat
in the vanilla and anise extract. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest
setting; add onethird of the flour mixture, beating just until blended.
Pour in One half cup of the buttermilk, beating until just combined. Repeat with
the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with the flour mixture.
Fold in the orange rind and the drained currants.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Rotate the pan briskly to even and
settle the batter. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a wooden pick
inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool
for 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan and the
tube. Invert the cake onto the rack; remove the waxed paper. Reinvert the
cake. While still warm, brush with orange marmalade and garnish with orange
zest, if you wish. cool to room temperature. Slice into 24 thin slices and
serve 2 slices per serving. NOTE: The cake can be frozen airtight for up to
one month.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini