Grand Marnier Pound Cake

It's been years since I baked a pound cake. I had the chance to make dessert (with dairy in it), so I decided to do it up right with a rich, dense pound cake scented with oranges. This cake delivered. My mom added homemade roasted strawberry buttermilk sherbet with locally grown frozen black raspberries as garnish. The orange flavoring stood up nicely to the other fruit flavors. 

Grand Marnier Pound Cake

Serves 12, Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier liquor
• zest of one orange
• 1 cup sour cream

Grand Marnier Pound Cake ingredients.

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan. Dust pan with cake flour; tap out excess flour.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in Grand Marnier and orange peel. Using rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients. Mix in sour cream. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Carefully cut around cake in pan. Turn out cake.

Turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. Cake can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature.

Grand Marnier Pound Cake with Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Sherbet and frozen black raspberries.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

These flaky and tender sweet potato biscuits make the perfect housing for Easter ham, or enjoy them on their own with a bit of butter and honey. My husband is lactose intolerant, so using butter in the recipe was not an option. I subbed coconut oil, although vegetable shortening would have worked well too, and used lactose-free milk in the recipe and for brushing the tops of the biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Adapted from www.chow.com/recipes/10/886/sweet-potato-biscuits

serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 3/4 cup whole milk, (I used lactose-free), plus more for brushing
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, chilled
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4  teaspoon baking soda

Directions

The day before, or at least a few hours before, roast off 2 medium sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely, remove skins and mash. 

Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar), and set aside. Combine milk, vinegar and mashed sweet potato. Add the chilled coconut oil to the flour and using 2 butter knives, cut the fat into the flour mixture. Work the mixture with the knives until the coconut oil is about the size of peas. 

Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and gently combine. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough comes together (the dough will not be smooth). Dough will be sticky!

Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin to 3/4 thick. Using a floured cookie cutter, or glass, cut the dough into rounds. Place biscuits on parchment lined baking sheet about an 1/2 inch apart. 

Brush tops of biscuits with milk and bake for 12-15 minutes. Serve hot or warm. Biscuits are best the same day.