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Sour Cream Citrus Pound Cake

A few mere days ago, my biggest views per day number was 65 and I had hoped that maybe someday soon I would hit 100. I figured a reasonable goal. Well I am so proud to say that thanks to all of you coming over from foodgawker, because I have hit well over 700 now in one day! And of course that got me a little sentimental and made me start looking back through my blog posts. I went back to my very first recipe I posted and (gasp!) will you believe I didn't put a picture with it? Nope. Not one photo. Not even a quick camera shot from my phone! So I figured it was high time we got a photo of what I have come to believe is the best pound cake I have put to my lips.  Seriously, folks, I can't stress to you just how good this cake is. I finally present to you (with photo) my sour cream citrus pound cake.

This cake is light and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. I think what sets this cake over the edge is the tangy yet sweet lemon icing.  This cake is a citrus pound cake and not a lemon pound cake, because this cake is made with the zest of a lemon, lime, AND orange! If zesting is new to you, a microplane makes quick work and leaves you with pretty small ribbons of citrus.  You want the colorful outer rind, but be careful not to zest down too far. You don't want the white pith (that bitter part of the citrus right under the zest).  Pith make not a flavorful anything! The zest is where all the beautiful citrus oils are hanging out and provides a punch of citrus flavor.

 

I made this cake in a bundt pan this time, but generally I make it in two loaf pans. The bundt pan was great for presentation, but I think the loaf pans allow for more cake to icing ratio.  So if I were you make it in a loaf pan if you are like me and live for the sweet gooey icing.  If presentation is what you are going for, you could always make more icing!  This cake make a great Christmas present for family members, co-workers, the mailman, whoever is on your list.  I made it for my co-workers last year and it was well received and got the stamp of approval statement of "I must have that recipe."

So, now after what has been technically two years (with a whole lot of stops and starts in there). I present to you my first recipe post finally with picture! Thanks to all who have visited, read, and hopefully you will visit again.


Sour Cream Citrus Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
From Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

from Boston Girl Bakes

Print this recipe!

Ingredients for Cake:

1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4  cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Grated zest of 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime
Directions:
1. Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
2.  In another bowl, combine grated orange, lemon, and lime zests, vanilla extract and sour cream.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.   Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the mixing bowl well after each addition and mix until blended.  Add dry and wet ingredients alternately to butter-sugar-egg mixture until uniformly incorporated- do not overmix.
4. Grease and flour one bundt cake pan (or 2 large loaf pans- or 6-7 mini loaf pans).  Pour batter into pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for approximately 50 minutes (be sure to lower the baking time if you are making things smaller).  The cake is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool before glazing.

Lemon Glaze
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon zest

Mix all ingredients until smooth.  Pour over top of cake and serve.  For a thicker glaze use less lemon juice.

10 minute steel cut oats

I know it may sound boring, but I love steel cut oats. No, really I do. Steel cut oats unless you are unfamiliar with them are actually the inner oat kernel (or groats- thank you Wikipedia!) cut into small pieces. They are generally used in Scotland for porridges, whereas rolled oats are more of a British thing (or basically what I grew up on).  Steel cut oats are less processed (i.e. healthier for you as well!) , and because of this requires a much longer cooking time. I think a lot of people (and I am totally putting myself in this category) shy away from steel cut oats because of the time they take to cook.  This recipe is a brilliant solution to the problem of "I just don't have time to cook steel cut oats!".  Thank you, Cook's Illustrated. You have done it again.

This post is more of a how-to then follow an exact recipe. Steel cut oats can be made the day of, but take about 30 to 40 minutes to make. (I know, 40 minutes!?) Ain't nobody got time for that. (ok I just had to say that.) This recipe cuts the time to a mere 10 minutes from boil to bowl. Now that I got time for! It does however, require you soaking the oats overnight. So it does require a little forethought. But, hey, it saves me a half hour in the morning. I'm all for that.

You start by boiling 3 cups water and once it is boiling, take the pot off the heat and stir in your oats.  To cook steel cut oats, it's a rule of thumb to follow a 4:1 liquid to oat ratio. We will let the oats soak in the hot boiling water overnight, and add in that last cup of liquid the morning of. Easy, peasy. The next morning, add in your last cup of liquid. Now here is where you can be as creative as you want. I added water (to save a few calories), but milk definitely adds more flavor and some richness.  Then go ahead in fresh or dried fruit, spices, nuts, or whatever you want. Sky's the limit here! I added in cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, two grated apples, raspberries, honey, and pecans. Like, I said, add in whatever floats your boat.

Here are some great steel cut oatmeal recipes I found online from some of my favorite bloggers and I think they are worth a look. All the recipes could be adapted to use the 10-minute cooking method.

• Two Peas and Their Pod: Steel cut oats
• Rachel Cooks: Slow cooker pumpkin pie steel cut oats
• Oh She Glows: Make Ahead Steel cut oatmeal and 4 new oatmeal recipes

10 minute Steel Cut Oats
From Cook's Illustrated
Note:  Cook's Illustrated notes that the oats will continue to thicken as it cools.  If it becomes a little too thick for your liking, thin it out with a little boiling water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup of another liquid (you could you more water or any type of milk you like)

Add Ins:
Fresh fruit cut up (I grated in two apples and raspberries
Nuts (I used pecans)
Spices (Cinnamon and Nutmeg add great flavor!)
Sweetness (Brown sugar is ideal, but I used raw honey and stevia)

Directions:
1.  The night before, prepare a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil.
2. When the water is boiling, remove from heat and stir in the oats.
3. Cover and let sit overnight.
4. The next morning, add in your 1 cup of liquid, and any add-ins you like and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium, and continue to stir for about 4-6 minutes until it resembles warm pudding and the oats still retain some chewiness to them in texture.