Paula Deen's Rum Pound Cake

 

1 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup dark rum (you could probably replace with rum flavoring if you are opposed to spirits in your dessert, but I wouldn't know the replacement amounts, certainly not 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Rum Glaze

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rum

Preheat oven to 325°F

Grease entire 12-cup tube pan and line bottom with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In a small bowl, combine milk, rum and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans. Bake 1 hour and 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes clean. Pierce top of cake 8-10 times with a thin skewer. Pour Rum Glaze over hot cake. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, invert onto wire rack and let cool completely. Serve cake pecan side up. Rum Glaze:. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.