Vanilla/Orange/Chocolate Pound cake

I received two awards today and that made my Sunday! Thanks so much to Julie  from Elle’skitchenette and Ivy from Kopiaste. You made my day!

My sixteen year-old daughter announced that she was going to host a tea party for a few select friends. Great, said I, I will make a pound cake. We always had homemade pound cake growing up, a recipe our téta (grandma) had perfected, the famous quatre-quart in which one ingredient gets weighed and all the others have to follow suit. I remember her making it so carefully, almost like jewelry-work or embroidery, adding the eggs ever so slowly, never using any leavening.

Well, I am using some leavening and  I wanted a more festive cake than the simple vanilla pound cake we used to get. This one is a triumvirate of flavors: Orange, Vanilla (with a touch of turmeric) and Chocolate (dark). I was inspired by a recipe in Marlene Mattar’s cookbook مايده مارلين

INGREDIENTS: Cake will yield 16 servings

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs size large (2 ounces each)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla, lemon rind, dash of salt

For the orange flavor, add 1 tablespoon orange rind and half a teaspoon of orange color and a teaspoon of orange blossom water

For the chocolate flavor, add 1/4 cup of coco powder, 3 tablespoons of milk or cream and a  half tablespoon of butter. Heat it a small microwaveable bowl and stir till the mixture is creamy and well mixed without lumps.

For the vanilla flavor, add 2 teaspoons ground turmeric (remember this spice is really good for you!)

METHOD:

HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

1. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
2. Prepare the pan, lining it with a parchment or wax paper and grease and flour it or spray with Baker’s joy or a similar can.
3. Beat the butter in a mixer till creamy, add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one,  first the white, then the yolk, very slowly,  until incorporated. Add the flavorings.
4. Add the flour and milk alternatively, in three additions. Divide the batter and place in 3 bowls.
5. For the orange flavor, add a few drops of orange food coloring and the orange rind and orange blossom water. If you don’t have orange color, add equal drops of lemon and red food colors.
6. Measure the cocoa and the cream or milk in a small microwaveable container; add the butter and microwave 15 seconds at a time until the mixture is warm. Stir the mixture with a spoon until it is well mixed and creamy. Add to the cake batter.
7. Pour the batter into the mold taking one large tablespoon from the orange, then the chocolate then the vanilla until all are used up. If you wish to, you can swirl the batters in the cake pan with a knife to create a marbled effect.
8. Bake the cake at 325F for about one hour. Taste with a toothpick. If dry , remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes on a rack. Flip onto a serving platter. Cake can be cut in slices, each one wrapped carefully in wax paper and then foil and frozen for a few weeks.