Behold: Citrus Pound Cake. (Queue the heavens opening, the seas parting, and the angels singing.)
This cake is so delicious, it's out of control. It's a pound cake so naturally it's diet! Not. It is, however, dense and tart and sweet and all things good.
I first made this cake for my parents. It was a frigid spring day and later that night I had to pick them up at the airport. Fresh off their Jamaican holiday, I somehow felt the need to be nice, not bitter, and bake something yummy for their return home to the cold. Even though I was quite jealous, I tried to find the silver lining of me staying in Maine... in the cold... I couldn't find the silver lining. So I chose to bake. This also was helping me stay awake, being stranded at the airport is never fun and I'm not thaaaat mean.
Cake:
-3 cups flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 cups granulated sugar
-3 sticks butter at room temperature (told you it was diet)
-5 eggs
-1 tbs each of lemon zest, lime zest, and orange zest
-1 cup Sprite (or 7-up or even ginger ale)
Glaze:
-2 cups powdered sugar
-Pinch of salt
-1 tbs each of lemon zest, lime zest, and orange zest
-1 tbs each of lemon juice and lime juice
-A little water if needed to thin the glaze
1. Preheat the oven to 325F
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time to incorporate nicely.
4. Throw the salt in.
5. Add the flour in stages so it doesn't get all over you and this is a lot of flour, your mixer needs time to adjust. Don't kill the mixer!
6. Add the Sprite.
7. Once the batter is smooth, you can add all the zest. Mix to combine and you're good to go!
8. Choose your pan- I go with the bunt every time. I think it looks pretty and it always reminds me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. "You fixed it!"
9. Take that bunt pan and get up close and personal with it. Slather, and I mean slather, it with butter. Get into each and every space. When you can't possibly get any more butter in there, give it a good coat of flour. Shake it around and get rid of the extra. (This step is probably the most important- NOTHING is worse than making the cake and it getting stuck in the pan. Bunt pans especially are problematic for me.)
10. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan and flatten the top with a spatula.
11. Once the oven has come to temp, pop it in for about an 1 hour and 15 minutes. (I'd check after an hour- every oven is different. You basically want the cake tester to come out clean.)
12. While that bakes, make the glaze!
13. Preferably in a bowl with a spout sift the powdered sugar and salt. No one likes a lumpy glaze.
14. Add the lemon and lime juice and whisk until the mixture forms a loose paste consistency. You don't want the glaze too loose so if you feel yours is too thick, add a tea spoon of water at a time until you get the desired consistency. If for some reason you get a little too excited and add too much water, it's all good, just add a bit more sugar.
15. When the glaze is to your liking, add the lemon, lime, and orange zest. Combine well and set aside for later.
16. Once the cake is all done and smelling amazing- take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
17. After 15 minutes of torture take a serving plate, place it over the top of the pan, then flip the pan onto the plate. The cake should gradually fall from the pan without tearing the top. If you have to give it a little tap here and there, by all means, tap away.
18. Once you've safely removed this golden nugget of cake, let it cool until just barely warm to the touch. If you put the glaze on now while it's too hot, it will melt and get all weird.
19. Once the cake has come to about room temperature, get that glaze and have a party. Make sure to cover all of the cake so that every bite has some glaze. YUM. You can even do it in stages- put a thin layer on, wait a minute or so and then layer again.
Cut and EAT.
I'm obviously way too excited that it came out in one piece.
This cake is always best eaten right away, but if you have to wait, I guess that's fine too. And if for some reason you have any left over? Take a slice, put even more butter on it and crisp it up in a pan for a little snack or a sugary breakfast. If you're going to eat it as leftovers, might as well make it even yummier.
So I fetched my parents and had a little late night snack session. Between the three of us I think we ate at least half of the cake. I'm not ashamed to admit it- it's very tasty. I had to stop eventually because after all, I did have to be up in a few hours for work.
I got this original recipe from the Pioneer Woman- Ree (She's amazing and you should try all of her recipes.) She doesn't include the orange, but I like it so I added it. You can use any and all citrus with this one actually, it will taste great either way. Here's a link to the original:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/04/lemon-lime-pound-cake/
Enjoy!
-Meaghan
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