Last weekend was my birthday. Another year closer to being really over the hill. I can't believe how old I FEEL.
I spent my birthday on the west side. The Help drove me and TheRents out for a Costco run. We had lunch at The Blue Room. I even made it in time to go to my favorite yarn store. All in all, it was a great day. But there was one thing missing: birthday cake.
OllieMama keeps raving about the carrot cake at Costco, but I did not see any when I was there. I saw some large red velvet cupcakes, but no carrot cake. It didn't matter because I didn't feel like having carrot cake anyway.
I came home from Kona, exhausted, but decided to make my own birthday cake. I felt like something citrus-y so I made orange pound cake. I made a half recipe of the mini loaf pan version. . .only because I figured I'd be expected to share some.
This cake has been adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's
recipe. I leave out the orange zest, and I use large eggs, instead of extra-large eggs. Because I usually use local navel oranges, the zest is not the perfect orange color found on supermarket oranges; it is a green-gold color, which, in spite of the added flavor, does NOT look appetizing in a cake. I guess my inability to bring myself to pay the premium for extra-large eggs is why I just use large eggs. . .it's what I buy. The icing is also thicker with my recipe than with the original recipe. I like the icing to slowly ooze down the sides, not run down in a thin shell.
click on recipe title for printable recipe
2 c butter, softened
5 c sugar, divided per recipe instructions
8 large eggs
6 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 c orange juice, divided per recipe instructions
1 1/2 c buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
4 1/4 c powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8 mini loaf pans or 4 4 x 8" loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans and 2 4 x 8" loaf pans). Cut parchment paper to fit bottoms of pans. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1 c sugar and 1 c orange juice. Set aside. In a medium measuring cup, combine buttermilk, 1/2 c orange juice, and vanilla. Set aside. Cream butter and 4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide mixture among pans. If using mini loaf pans, use 4 level #10 dishers per pan. Bake 42 minutes for mini loaf pans or 55 minutes for 4 x 8" loaf pans. While cakes are baking, heat orange juice & sugar mixture until sugar dissolves. Set aside. Let cakes cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove loaves to wire rack set over a shallow pan. Pour warm syrup evenly over each loaf. When completely cool, make icing by combining powdered sugar and 6 tbsp orange juice. Pour over cakes and allow icing to dry and harden before wrapping or serving.
Last weekend was my birthday. Another year closer to being really over the hill. I can't believe how old I FEEL.
I spent my birthday on the west side. The Help drove me and TheRents out for a Costco run. We had lunch at The Blue Room. I even made it in time to go to my favorite yarn store. All in all, it was a great day. But there was one thing missing: birthday cake.
OllieMama keeps raving about the carrot cake at Costco, but I did not see any when I was there. I saw some large red velvet cupcakes, but no carrot cake. It didn't matter because I didn't feel like having carrot cake anyway.
I came home from Kona, exhausted, but decided to make my own birthday cake. I felt like something citrus-y so I made orange pound cake. I made a half recipe of the mini loaf pan version. . .only because I figured I'd be expected to share some.
This cake has been adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's
recipe. I leave out the orange zest, and I use large eggs, instead of extra-large eggs. Because I usually use local navel oranges, the zest is not the perfect orange color found on supermarket oranges; it is a green-gold color, which, in spite of the added flavor, does NOT look appetizing in a cake. I guess my inability to bring myself to pay the premium for extra-large eggs is why I just use large eggs. . .it's what I buy. The icing is also thicker with my recipe than with the original recipe. I like the icing to slowly ooze down the sides, not run down in a thin shell.
click on recipe title for printable recipe
2 c butter, softened
5 c sugar, divided per recipe instructions
8 large eggs
6 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 c orange juice, divided per recipe instructions
1 1/2 c buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
4 1/4 c powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8 mini loaf pans or 4 4 x 8" loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans and 2 4 x 8" loaf pans). Cut parchment paper to fit bottoms of pans. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1 c sugar and 1 c orange juice. Set aside. In a medium measuring cup, combine buttermilk, 1/2 c orange juice, and vanilla. Set aside. Cream butter and 4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide mixture among pans. If using mini loaf pans, use 4 level #10 dishers per pan. Bake 42 minutes for mini loaf pans or 55 minutes for 4 x 8" loaf pans. While cakes are baking, heat orange juice & sugar mixture until sugar dissolves. Set aside. Let cakes cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove loaves to wire rack set over a shallow pan. Pour warm syrup evenly over each loaf. When completely cool, make icing by combining powdered sugar and 6 tbsp orange juice. Pour over cakes and allow icing to dry and harden before wrapping or serving.
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