A favorite recipe from my Mom is her traditional pound cake. I remember it becoming the solid base for fresh strawberries or peaches during the summer and iced with a lemon glaze during the winter. The ingredients truly were a pound each! The idea for this recipe came from replicating my Mom’s recipe and a drive through the orange groves around Arcadia, Florida. Made in the traditional method of only using eggs to leaven and baked in loaf pans rather than a bundt pan, this recipe adds orange juice and orange zest to provide a light orange flavor adding a new twist under fresh fruit or as the “bread” for Arcadia Orange Pound Cake with Blackberry Merlot Sauce. Consisting of four Flavor Tiers, it is easily made but does take well over an hour from the time you place them in the oven to when you remove from the pans so plan accordingly. Making a day ahead of serving allows the cake to “age” and the flavors to meld.
1 pound quality butter, unsalted, room temperature (2 cups)
1 pound granulated sugar (2 cups)
1 pound eggs, room temperature (7 large)
1 pound all purpose flour (3 ¼ cups)
2 T fresh orange juice
3 T orange zest, divided
2 T powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 8 ½” x 4 ½” loaf pans. Line bottom with parchment paper and grease.