How do I love thee? Let me count the pounds…

I confess: some of my best relationships have been some of the most high-calorie ones. It isn’t an exact correlation, of course, but betwixt potlucks that spill beyond the front doors and delighted snacking between two, I have found some of my most kindred of friends. This relationship formula exists on the solo level as well, so when I had batch of orange curd coming together and I began fantasizing of a dense cake to pair it with, I didn’t question because I already knew the answer: pound cake.

You’d think, working in the buttery baking world that I do, butter would be overdone. You’d be wrong.

I was looking for a dense but still luscious crumb, fragrant and yielding in it’s buttery goodness. I tried the recipe below, with toasted almonds for extra richness, and to be honest, it came out more dry than expected and less … pillowy?

Regardless, sink this cake into some crème fraîche or cream-top plain yogurt (my opt) and drizzle with orange curd and you’ll have your midnight snack/breakfast/delightful-any-time-treat figured out for the next week.

After a little webbing I did discover this recipe for Cardamom Vanilla Pound Cake that was like a silent movie “of course!” slap on the forehead. Perhaps I’ll try this new recipe and make a new friend? Hmmm, something tells me that when there is delicious pound cake to be had, it’s quite alright to be dancin’ with yourself.

This pound cake rounded out a dinner that was both savory and tangy throughout. After a glass or two of Paso A Paso’s Tempranillo while cooking, we sat down to cracked pepper crepes stuffed with savory filling and seared lamb accompanied by seasoned kale chips and sweet chili carrots.

The main dish was a basic crepe recipe, doctored with chili oil and fresh ground pepper to taste, filled with caramelized onions, sauteed garlic and fresh herbs mixed with a small amount of creamy brie. The lamb I marinated in a red wine, balsamic and orange juice concoction before searing. Kale chips are simply a matter of tossing the leaves in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and baking at 400° until crispy. Carrots (at right) were dressed in dark brown sugar, chili oil and butter for the occasion.

And then, finally: dessert.

Brown Sugar Toasted Almond Pound Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz butter
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 T almond extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup almonds, chopped and toasted

Tools

• mixing bowl
• whisk, spatula and the measuring assemblage
• Bundt pan, muffin tins or baking vessel of choice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°. Cream your butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Whip in eggs one at a time, then add extracts. Combine your dry ingredients and add them, alternating between the buttermilk and dry mixture until just combined. Now fold in your almonds; if you only have raw almonds handy, toast them in a small pan over low heat and allow to cool before adding.

Grease your baking dish, then fill. Bake between 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the vessel you choose. The center of your cake(s) should spring back when gently pressed (gentle like petting a kitten on the nose). Allow to cool before refrigerating. No harm in serving these warm, room temp or frozen and crumbled as a topping. Also an option: get that low heat fry pan out again and toast your pound cake for a few minutes with, dare I say it? … more butter.

Tags: almond, butter, cake, dessert, Entertaining, friends, poundcake, vanilla

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Baking, Desserts, Entertaining. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.