just a smidgen

A Recipe for Rain and Spring Oranges Pound Cake

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A Recipe for Rain

A Recipe for Rain

 

♥

I’ve been watching our skies.. searching for a hint of rain

No snow,  just rain

…please…

 

Glorious, spring-laden, life rejuvenating, gurgling rain!

To sprinkle over our gardens and lend a hand to the dormant plants below.

And while I wait.. a meditative morning of solitude in my kitchen..

Cloudy flour-motes powder the air like snow

And icing sugar dusts my floors with sparkling flakes.

Flowers, heady with fragrance dance on table tops

Orange scented blossoms fill my mixing bowl

with spring.

♥

I think tears are like rain.. they refresh and renew.

They appear raw, unexpected and unannounced.

♥

betwixt the melodic notes of a pure voice

the seeking gaze of a lonely heart

the touch of a flower’s petal

♥

With such a deluge of beauty, how could one not spill a tear of joy..

share a tablespoon of love,

a cup or two of tenderness,

or the sweet taste of a memory?

♥

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March 18, 2012

Dear Ina (Barefoot Contessa),

Your recipes are always a fail-proof choice. But when one writes “1 1/2 cups sugar, divided”, distracted bakers can skip over the word “divided” and end up dumping all of the sugar into the bowl at once. If you wouldn’t mind, please separate out these ingredients and list them in the order they’re to be used. While you’re at it, separate out the glaze ingredients as well.

Respectfully,
Just a Smidgen

Now I know that none of you will make this same mistake, because I’ve typed the ingredients up separately for you. Despite this, the cake didn’t taste too sweet. So if you do things the right way… well…  it will be the perfect “not-too-sweet” slice of Orange Pound Cake to sit down and savor with your cup of tea for tears in the late afternoon.

Spring Oranges Pound Cake

Spring Oranges Pound Cake
 
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Cook time
Total time
 
Ingredients
Cake
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup grated orange zest (3 large or 6 small oranges)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Orange Syrup
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Glaze (optional)
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar (icing sugar), sifted
  • 1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  2. Cream the butter and 2 cups of sugar in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat for about 5 minutes until the mixture is creamed, light and fluffy. Beat in each egg, one at a time. Beat in the orange zest.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a measuring cup, mix together 1/4 cup orange juice, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
  5. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures to the creamed butter, alternating, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between two loaf pans, smoothing the tops of the batter. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. While the cake is baking, combine the 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup of orange juice in a small saucepan. Heat on low until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, remove from the pan onto a wire rack (place a sheet of wax or parchment paper underneath). Spoon the syrup overtop. The top may be pieced delicately to allow the syrup to saturate more of the cake.
  8. To glaze, allow the cakes to cool completely. Combine the confectioner's sugar with the 1 1/2 tbsp of orange juice in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add a few drops of orange juice to get a pouring consistency. Pour over the cake and allow the glaze to dry and set before slicing.
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