Pound Cake With Grand Marnierpoached Apricots Recipes

POUND CAKE WITH GRAND MARNIER-POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• For cake:
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°F. Butter and flour pan. Whisk salt, cream of tartar, cardamom, and 3 cups flour in a medium bowl.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 2 cups butter until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until very light and creamy, 6-8 minutes longer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until mostly combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70-80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool completely before turning out.
• DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• For apricots and assembly:
• Bring Grand Marnier, granulated sugar, and 2/3 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add apricots and ginger, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until apricots are very soft, 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
• Remove ginger just before serving. Serve cake with apricots and syrup and whipped cream.
• DO AHEAD: Apricots can be poached 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

GRAND MARNIER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• CAKE:
• Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter a 10-inch fluted tube pan; then sprinkle it with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat butter until creamy.
• Gradually beat in sugar, continue beating until the mix is light and fluffy.
• Turn mixer to low, sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until flour is absorbed. Beat in Grand Marnier and orange zest.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mini-chips.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing the top even.
• Bake for 1 hour or until the cake shrinks from the side of the pan. You can use the toothpick method too!
• Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold the cake onto a second rack placed over a piece of wax paper or foil.
• GLAZE:.
• Meanwhile, combine the orange juice, Grand Marnier and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat.
• Lower heat and simmer until the mixture forms a light syrup, about 5 minutes.
• Brush the syrup all over the warm cake.
• When cooled, transfer it to a serving plate.

APRICOT NECTAR POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 or 10 inch Bundt pan.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, oil, 3/4 cup of apricot nectar and brandy using an electric mixer on low speed. Mix for 3 minutes on high speed. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate.
• To make the icing, combine 3 tablespoons of apricot nectar, 3 tablespoons of sugar and butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved. Let cool one minute, then pour over the cake.