Orange Pound Cake ~ Sweet 16

Dear Avia Lovers,

Do you remember your Sweet 16th birthday?  My homestay student from Shanghai just turned 16 yesterday on January 4th/2014.  
I needed a plan for a birthday cake.  First I knew that I must use the best ingredients for such a sweet time.  What flavour celebrates this time in life and can be savoured throughout her special day to create a wonderful memory?  This ingredient is none other than the sweet, juicy and delicious orange. The pound cake in all it's versatility met my creativity and thoughts of sweetness with ease! I remember my mom's many versions of this cake, most of all the tart lemon icing drizzled all over the top!  I also felt quite certain that every other grandmother have made their own version on some special occasion. 
This cake with it's lovely dense texture will connect you to the earth and combined with the sweet orange scents, rise you up to the heavens!  This had sweet 16 written all over it! 

 It is no wonder how this simple cake recipe has traveled around the world, with variations in such countries as Britain, France, Germany, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia and an American Southern version. The pound cake got it's name for it's measurements of 1.1.1. meaning 1lb butter, 1lb flour, 1lb. sugar, today of course the recipe has been adjusted and corrected in it's measurements.  Although I noticed most recipes still use up to 2 Cups of sugar, rest assured I have reduced the sugar in half in this recipe.

This cake is all about the sweet 16 and how the oranges meet this special time so beautifully.  Since my student likes both tradition and meaningful stories, she immediately realized that the orange was quite appropriate for her birthday. Quick to admit that turning 16 is much like this lovely floral sweet orange as it also contains it's opposite.  She is no longer a child and not yet a mature adult. As they say it is the time of "the coming of age" and with increased freedom comes more responsibility, awe the bittersweet.  

In Shanghai, most homes do not have ovens in their kitchens, so birthday cakes are often ordered from the many bakeries available.   Making her cake from home and from scratch was a sweet gift indeed, she was delighted!  Check out all our photos and birthday baking fun! 
Here it is, my version of the traditional pound cake at Avia Home Cooking.

Orange Pound Cake 

 Ingredients:
2 C All Purpose Flour                   
1 C Garbanzo Bean Flour             
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 C Organic Cane Sugar
3 eggs
1/2 C Plain Yogurt
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Grated Orange rind
1 C Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice (4- 6 juicy oranges)
2 C Homemade Cranberry sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, add orange rind, mixing all just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
   
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto your serving plate and cool.

Orange glaze icing
1 Tbsp Grated Orange Peel
1 C Icing Sugar
3 Tbsp of Orange Juice
 Mix together to reach a consistency that can drizzle over the cake.  


Thank you and Buon Appetito! Mangia!

Ciao Tutti

Created & Written by Caterina Alberti
January 4th/2014
Serve cake with a spoonful of homemade cranberry sauce! 
Happy Birthday Sweet Yushu!