COOK'S CLASS

 ORANGE POUND CAKE

Over the decades the handsome pound cake known to the French as quatre-quarts (four-part cake, made with equal weights of flour, sugar, butter and eggs) has evolved into a light, less rich but equally luscious version

However, to restore it to its original lustre, there is no substitute for real butter and a dried vanilla pod, with its minute seeds. Although the original version used stiffly beaten egg whites as the raising agent, baking powder does ensure an excellent result. To intensify the flavour of the orange pound cake, French cooks use a simple but effective trick - they add a generous sprinkling of orange liqueur and replace water with freshly squeezed orange juice when making the icing.

I
250 g butter
250 g sugar
2-3 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 vanilla pod
4 extra-large eggs
375 g cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
250 ml full-cream milk
Icing:
Juice of 1 orange (50 ml)
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
200 g icing sugar, sieved
(Serves 6) 

You will need: a 24 cm round cake tin, baking paper, kitchen scissors, fine grater or citrus zester, saucepan, balloon whisk or electric beater, large bowl, measuring cup, spatula and an orange squeezer

 

STAGE 1:
Preheat oven to 160ºC. Line, grease and sugar a 24 cm cake tin.  Tip: Use a sturdy cake tin lined with baking paper as the baking period is long. An old fashioned trick is to sprinkle the floured pan with a little sugar before adding the cake mixture this adds crunch to the crust. Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until the mixture is light and creamy. 

 

STAGE 2:
Mix in orange zest.  When grating the orange use either a zester or the fine side of a grater. You don’t want shreds of hard peel or the bitter white pith to be included.

Slit vanilla pod, remove seeds with a small sharp knife and add them to the mixture. Beat thoroughly. Store used vanilla pods in sugar and use the fragrant sugar for desserts and cakes. 

STAGE 3:
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after

In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder from well  above the bowl to aerate. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Do not over-beat. 

STAGE 4:
Pour into cake tin. To stop air bubbles forming, tap the cake tin on a hard surface once or twice before baking. Use a spatula to smooth away the centre of the batter. This will leave a slight depression and ensure an even top. 

Bake, just below the centre of the oven for 1 ¼ - 1 ½ hours or until the cake is firm and golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out dry. Cool cake in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen gently around the edges and turn out.

Icing: Blend together orange juice, liqueur and icing sugar. Spoon icing over hot cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Place a sheet of paper underneath to catch any spills. A quick change is to sprinkle the top of the cake with finely shredded almonds before baking and dusting lightly with icing sugar before serving.