citrus-almond pound cake

Do you cut out recipes from magazines and newspapers? Or are you fully paperless now- downloading recipes as needed?

I am firmly in the paper camp and cannot imagine life without my scraps and slips- torn, yellowed, stained and dog-eared. One such piece — actually, newspaper section— was tucked into my junk basket, and stumbling on it was like finding a precious treasure.

This recipe is fantastic. Rich, flavorful and simple. The pound cake is moist and dense, redolent with butter, almond and citrus. The almond paste makes it extra special, and the food processor makes for quick prep. Many thanks to Mark Bittman and his now-defunct column, The Minimalist, at the New York Times.

Citrus-Almond Poundcake
from NY Times, adapted from Grandaisy Bakery

Printable Recipe

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for pan
flour for pan
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup fresh orange juice
3 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 7-ounce tube almond paste
7 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups cake flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour an 8-cup Bundt pan. Put lemon juice, orange juice and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan over low heat; cook until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Set aside.

Put almond paste and remaining 2 cups sugar in food processor and process until well combined; add butter and continue processing until light and fluffy. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time along with zest and vanilla, and continue to process until smooth.

Stop the machine, add the flour, baking powder and salt, and pulse a few times— JUST until the dry ingredients are integrated (be careful not to over process, or the cake will be tough.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. When a skewer or thin-bladed knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and set it over a rimmed cookie sheet. Pour the citrus soak over the cake and let it cool completely.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.


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