With the weather starting to change, I felt like making a nice pound cake
recipe that would be filling and light at the same time…hard to do, but the orange zest in this pound cake made for a great compliment to the ricotta and hazelnut.
The original recipe called for amaretto, but I went with a hazelnut liqueur cause my liqueur closet just isn’t what it used to be and it’s what I had available. There’s such a mild taste difference between the two that I didn’t notice any change.
My co-workers and fellow Junior Leaguers will hopefully enjoy this one tomorrow. One thing I did notice was that I used a canola oil spray instead of the recommended butter. If I could do it again, I’d use the butter…I think the taste of the butter would enhance the cake even more…
Ricotta Orange Pound Cake (adapted from Food Network recipe)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 tablespoons hazlelnut liquer
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter, ricotta and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. While mixing, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest and liqueur until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
