The Barefoot Contessa's Orange Pound Cake

I have a guilty pleasure. It's Starbuck's Lemon Pound Cake. I hardly ever go to Starbuck's but when I do, I usually pick up a slice. It's worth every penny of the $1.72 that they charge for it.

Today, however, I was inspired by the great Ina Garten and decided to make my own. Slightly different, but just as good, is her Orange Pound Cake. I halved the recipe only because I couldn't justify almost 3 cups of sugar on a "first try" recipe. Now, half way through the loaf, I'm bummed I didn't just do it. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we are.

ORANGE POUND CAKE

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ½ cups granulated sugar,
divided4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated orange zest (6 oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, divided
¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

TO GLAZE ONE LOAF (OPTIONAL)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ - 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 the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. 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 ¼ 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 an hour (mine took 55 minutes), until a cake tester comes out clean.

While the cakes bake, cook the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar with the remaining ½ 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.

YIELD: 2 loaves

Pucker Up! Meyer Lemon Bars

Our LPO box included some meyer lemons this week. These winter treats are believed to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange so they are naturally sweeter, smoother and more vibrant in color. They have such amazing flavor it was nearly impossible to choose a single recipe. Lemon gelato? Lemon sugar cookies? Candied lemon? In the end, the lemon bar won out, and we are soooo glad that it did.

Meyer Lemon Bars
(makes one 8-inch square pan)

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/8 tsp salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Filling:

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt2 tsp finely grated meyer lemon zest*

1/4 cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice*

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

To make crust: Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add butter, cut into 1/2 inch sections, and cut into mixture with a pastry cutter. The flour should resemble small pebbles when it's finished. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside crust.

To make filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in lemon zest and juice until well combined. Pour over crust (it's okay if crust is still hot). Bake until filling is just set, about 15 to 18 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar while still warm. WAIT UNTIL COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE CUTTING!

* Note: The recipe calls for Meyer Lemons because they are less tart than the Eureka lemons found in the supermarket. However, regular lemons can be used.