I enjoy experimenting with making different versions of an old fashioned pound cake, especially since I have fresh eggs everyday from my chickens. I had a few mandarine oranges left in the fruit bowl sitting on my kitchen table, so I decided to make a pound cake using them.
It worked! I substituted fresh squeezed orange juice for vanilla and milk, yogurt for sour cream, and gluten free flour for cake flour. I also flavored the batter with fresh orange peel which I grated before juicing the oranges. The cake turned out moist and dense, just like a pound cake should.
Beat the sugar at room temperature with the butter till white and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time to sugar and butter. Whip the mixture till almost double. Sift the dry ingredients and add to batter alternating with wet ingredients (plain yogurt and orange juice). Add the grated orange zest last. Beat the batter just till mixed thoroughly, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated evenly. Do not overbeat!
Bake at 325 for 50 minutes to an hour in a well-seasoned and floured bundt pan. Let cool for fifteen minutes then turn out on a cake plate.
This cake freezes at this stage beautifully.
For the icing, sift one cup of powdered sugar with a pinch of salt. Add orange juice and orange zest and stir till desired thickness for drizzling. Sprinkle additional orange zest on top for decoration and additional flavor.
Look around for almost too ripe fruit in your pantry. What fresh fruit pound cake will you concoct?
3 cups gluten free flour or regular flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 T orange zest
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup sour cream
Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 4-6 T orange juice, 1 T orange zest