Brown Sugar Tea Cake with Moscato Glaze

I do a lot of baking, particularly in the fall. Cool weather and dreary, rainy days make me want to go into the kitchen, turn on some lively tunes, dance a little bit while I stir batter, and produce something fabulously fragrant and flavorful. Fresh, homemade baked goods can counter even the gloomiest, chilliest of days.

Recently, I wanted to make something simple - not laden with chips and nuts and streusel and such, but just fairly basic. A cake, perhaps, to serve with afternoon tea ... but dressed up just a little bit, maybe with a glaze. So I baked a lovely pound cake, substituting brown sugar for the white to give more depth of flavor.

And then, instead of drizzling a standard milk-based glaze over the top, I decided to use some lovely sweet white wine instead to flavor the icing. Remember that small changes can often have a big impact. If a recipe calls for water or milk, for example, there's no reason you can't substitute coffee or a flavored liqueur, after all. Experiment! Try new things!

This cake makes a lovely snack or breakfast, or even a treat "just because." Served with tea, cocoa, coffee, milk, or a glass of wine, it is simply perfect for any time of day.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Moscato Glaze

Cake (slightly modified from this recipe):
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8"x4" glass loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the eggs and the vanilla until well combined.

Beat in the flour, baking powder and salt just until combined.

Spread batter in the prepared pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, then remove from pan; let cool on a rack.

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons Moscato (a very generous marketing gift from Flip Flop Wines)

Whisk together the glaze ingredients, then drizzle over the pound cake. Let the glaze set completely before cutting and serving.

Makes 12 servings.