Orange Pound Cake

Some recipes are just better knowing where they came from... and sometimes they even give us a sense of where we come from, too.  This is one of those recipes, which I found in one of my grandmother's cookbooks.  I've mentioned these cookbooks before - from the lovely ladies of the Pass-a-Grille Woman's Club in St. Pete Beach, Florida.  While this recipe is not once of my grandmother's, it is one that I make occasionally with fond memories of the Woman's Club and the special women that meant so much to my Gram. 

This recipe is simple, but delicious and so nice for a little get together.  Over the years, I've made a couple of tiny changes to suit my taste, so here is my version of the recipe:

Orange Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 stick, plus 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 tablespoons milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups sifted flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Orange Glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.,  Generously grease a loaf pan with butter and set it aside. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and beat until combined.

Sift together the dry ingredients into a standing mixer or large bowl.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then add the orange zest.  Add the butter in one tablespoon at a time until well combined.  Scrape down the bowl and pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, combine the sugar and juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.  Reduce the glaze by half.

Allow the cake to cool on a rack for five minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool.  Gently poke holes over the top of the cake with a toothpick, then brush or drizzle the warm glaze all over the cake while it is still warm until the cake is saturated.  You'll do this several times until all the syrup is used up.

Serve with a bit of chocolate sauce, or whipped cream for a really special treat.