Orange Pound Cake
Makes 1 (8 ½-inch) loaf, serves 10
Be sure to whip the butter long enough -- until it's paler in color. The batter will go through a slick stage after each egg is first added. As the batter is beaten, it will work its way back to the inital fluffy stage. Then you know you are ready to continue with the next step.
This recipe is part of The Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature, plus 1 teaspoon for pan
8 ounces cake flour (2 cups)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Zest from 1 ½ juice oranges
3/4 teaspoon Cointreau
8 ounces sugar (1 cup + 2 tablespoons)
4 large eggs (8 ounces), room temperature
prep: 20 minutes
total: 2 hours 15 minutes
zester (or grater)
8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan
parchment paper
sifter
electric mixer
rubber spatula
cooling rack
food processor
1. Place rack in lower third of oven, 2nd rack from the bottom. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Butter the loaf pan. Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Stick into bottom of pan.
3. Sift together flour and salt, set aside.
4. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium speed until creamy. Meanwhile, put orange zest, Cointreau and sugar in the workbowl of a food processor. Process, stopping to scrape down sides once or twice, until very smooth. The sugar will become moist from the zest.
5. With a spatula, scoop up part of the sugar and add to butter. Whip until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl. Add remaining sugar gradually and continue to whip until light and fluffy.
6. Add eggs, one at a time, and whip until fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer.
7. Gently stir in dry ingredients. Scrape down along bottom of bowl to mix flour into all of batter.
8. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 35 minutes.
9. Remove and let sit for 20 minutes on a cooling rack. Unmold. When cake has cooled completely wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Can keep in refrigerator for at least 2 weeks, or the freezer for months.
