Weekend Cooking: Happy New Year & A Recipe

Happy New Year, my friends! I want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support of Weekend Cooking. Every week I am impressed with your amazing posts, whether you're writing about cookbooks, recipes, or gadgets, whether you are pairing novels with a particular dish, whether you are sharing photos, meal plans, or travel adventures . . . I love every single post.

Tonight we will be hosting our annual New Year's Eve dinner and party. It's a small affair. We generally drink and eat and gab, watch a movie, watch the ball drop, and then gab until we're too tired to stay awake. Good friends, good tradition.

This year I'm making Ina Garten's orange pound cake for dessert. Her recipe says to bake the batter in two 8-inch loaf pans, but I baked it in a single Bundt pan at 325F for about an hour. I put the orange syrup on after taking the cake out of the pan, but I'll wait to glaze it with the confectioners' sugar until sometime this afternoon.

Orange Pound Cake
From Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Family Style

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 extra large eggs at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated orange zests (6 oranges)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeeze orange juice, divided
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze for 1 loaf (optional)

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeeze orange juice

Heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 by 2-1/2-inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffly. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the orange zest.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

While the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the cakes to cool completely.

To glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Add a few more drops of juice, if necessary, to make it pour easily. Pour over the top of one cake and allow the glaze to dry. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.

Published by Clarkson Potter, 2002
ISBN-13: 9780609610664
Source: bought (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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