Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

The first recipe that came to mind when I made the ricotta for Recipes to Rival, was this Ricotta Orange Pound Cake in Giada de Laurentiis' cookbook Giada's Kitchen. I had been eyeing this cake from the moment I got the book.

This was a very, very good pound cake. The orange came out nicely. It wasn't overwhelming but light and refreshing. The texture was not as dense as most pound cakes tend to be. I'm sure this is probably due to the addition of ricotta to the batter. If it is, I'm going to try adding to more baked goods! I was so happy with this one. And of course it will have to be homemade ricotta now that I know how easy it is! My only issue with the cake was it was a little under baked in the middle. Not to bad (in fact, quite tasty when re-heated!) and nothing baking a tidge longer wouldn't fix.

For the first serving, I added strawberries. They were unfortunately frozen because the grocery was not sporting any tasty fresh berries that week. Oh well, frozen makes do when you really need them. However, I loved the cake as is. It didn't really need any adornments in my opinion. I love orange flavor in my cakes and that was the star for me. Nothing else required!

If you must have a glaze or garnish, a simple orange glaze made from fresh orange juice would be nice. In fact, the next time I make this (and I so will!), I might try that. It would definitely play well with the flavor of the cake (obviously Heather...it is orange!).

The pound cake freezes wonderfully. I sliced it and placed wax paper between each slice for easy removal. A few seconds in the microwave and it is nice, warm, and oh so tasty. A few weeks after I made the pound cake, I was looking for something different for dinner. After discarding a few choices in the freezer, I saw the sliced pound cake just sitting there calling my name. Pound cake...its not just for dessert! Yum. Perfect for dinner too!

So here is the first of the what I made with my homemade ricotta posts that I promised! Hopefully the next ones won't take as long!

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups cake flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
* 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 orange, zested
* 2 tablespoons Amaretto (I used fresh orange juice b/c I didn't have Amaretto)
* Powdered sugar, for dusting
* 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Source: Food Network. Also available in Giada's Kitchen.