Citrus Pound Cake with Candied Orange Peel
Despite lingering snow on the front lawn, the crocuses pushing up in our yard and the appearance of the first scarlet tanager at our bird feeder have given me some hope that spring may actually be around the corner. So even though I don’t have strawberries or rhubarb yet, I thought I’d give some winter fruits a festive spring feel. This lovely bundt cake has a crisp, golden outer edge and a not-too-sweet, lemony pound cake crumb. For added beauty and tang, I topped everything off with a pleasantly tart citrus glaze and pretty bits of candied citrus peel.
This recipe is well suited to a wide variety of citrus fruits. Feel free to sub in your favorite! Valencia or Cara Cara oranges, Meyer lemons, tangerines, and Minneola tangelos are all wonderful this time of year.
What You Need
Serves: 12 – 16
For the Candied Citrus Peel
- 1 Minneola tangelo
- 1 lemon
- 2 navel orange
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- Water
For the Citrus Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 – 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice, or a mixture of both.
For the Citrus Bundt Pound Cake
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
How-To
For the Candied Citrus Peel
1. Remove zest from citrus with a peeler, avoiding the pith as much as possible. Slice zest into thin strips, then rough chop into confetti-like pieces.
2. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, stir 3/4 cup sugar into 1/2 cup water. Increase heat so that mixture comes to a gentle boil, then add citrus and turn heat to medium-low. (Syrup should maintain a very gentle simmer – you will likely need to decrease the heat gradually as the syrup cooks.) Cook citrus peel for a total of 25 – 30 minutes, or until pieces become translucent.
3. Use a mesh strainer to strain syrup and reserve for another use. With candied citrus still in the strainer, toss pieces with 1/4 – 1/3 cup sugar, shaking out any excess. Spread candied citrus out on a sheet of parchment paper to dry for an hour, and then place in an airtight container.
For the Citrus Glaze
1. While the cake cools, use a fork to whisk the citrus juice into powdered sugar until smooth.
2. Add just enough liquid that the glaze drips slowly off the fork. (Add more powdered sugar or citrus juice as needed.)
For the Citrus Bundt Pound Cake
1. Before baking, set out butter, eggs, and buttermilk to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Liberally butter a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan (butter wrappers are great for this).
2. Pour sugar into a small bowl and add the zest. Rub zest into the sugar with your fingertips, so it is distributed throughout. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl. Whisk with a fork so that ingredients are well mixed.
3. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on low speed until light and fluffy, 3 – 4 minutes. Slowly add the sugar, beating for 3 – 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Next, add the eggs one at a time. With mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour, and buttermilk. Mix batter just until all ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan, smooth out the top, and slide into the oven. Bake until cake is light golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 60 – 70 minutes.
5. Cool cake for 15 minutes, then flip out onto a serving plate to cool completely. Drizzle cake with glaze and top with candied citrus. Store in airtight container, cake will keep for 3 days at room temperature.
Enjoy :)
