Orange Creamsicle Pound Cake
Our new house has a mature orange tree in the backyard and as winter approaches the fruits are beginning to ripen. Besides your typical fresh squeezed orange juice, I have been trying to figure out what else I can make using oranges. My first go was with this orange creamsicle pound cake.
I don't bake much anymore but pound cake is pretty hard to mess up so of course this would be my first go around using oranges in a cake. I already had all of the ingredients on hand which almost never happens but this recipe doesn't require a whole lot of fancyness.
This recipe calls for an easy confection sugar icing but I think next time I make it maybe I will try some type of white chocolate ganache? Is that even possible? I guess we will find out.
* Be sure to grease and lightly dust your bunt pan before pouring in the batter, this will help with it not sticking to the pan and easy removal after it cools.
* Remove and cool on a wire rack, once completely cool take a thin knife and scrape around the edges to help nudge the cake out.
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ C. granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temp
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 C. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbs. freshly grated orange zest
2 ½ C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 1/3 C. 2% milk
4 oz. white baking chocolate or good quality white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1C. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 to 1 ½ Tbs. milk, to desired icing consistency ( I used 2% )
Additional orange zest for garnish, *optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave. Stir and zap again. It took 1 min of melting and stirring for mine to come out perfectly melted.
In a medium size bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt to combine; set aside.
Cream the butter together with sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the creamed mixture, one at a time, until combined. Stir in the vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest.
Gradually mix in the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Flour - milk - four - milk, etc. Stir the melted white chocolate into the batter until thoroughly combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the Bundt pan set on a wire rack. The cake should pull away from the edges of the pan as it cools. Run a thin, sharp knife around the edges of the pan before turning it out onto a serving plate.
Once the cake is completely cool, prepare the icing by stirring the vanilla extract and milk into the powdered sugar with a fork until smooth. Pour icing over the top of the loaves, spreading with a knife until the icing drizzles over the sides of the loaves. Garnish with additional orange zest, if desired.
Leftover pound cake may be stored wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to three days.
Next I am going to try orange scones, yum.
-Cass
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