Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

1c (2 sticks) soft butter

2c organic cane sugar

⅓-½c fresh lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon and 1 orange

2t baking powder

2c all purpose flour

5 lg. whole eggs

Beat the butter and sugar together well with your mixer.  Slowly at first, then at high speed, in a large bowl.  After several minutes, when it's fluffy, add the zest and juice and again, beat this mixture well.  Whisk the baking powder and flour together well, in a medium bowl.  Add spoonfuls of this alternately with the eggs, one at a time, just until well combined, but not over mixed.

Pour into an angel food cake pan, or bundt pan, that's been greased and floured.*  You might also want to cut a piece of parchment paper to exactly fit the bottom of the pan, if the one you're using has a flat bottom.  I didn't do this and the bottom did stick.  Bake at 325° for 45-55 minutes.  Let cool completely before removing from the pan.  After about 10 minutes you can loosen the edges with a kitchen knife if that works okay with your pan.

After another half hour or so, shake in the pan to be sure everything's unstuck.  If baked in an angel food pan, invert the cake onto one hand then flip it right-side up, onto a plate.  If your bundt pan is intricately grooved, just invert the open part of the cake directly onto a plate.

Dust the top with powdered sugar, make a glaze, *or you could just sprinkle it with flavored or plain sugar before baking.  I didn't have powdered sugar, but almost experimented with the juice of half an orange, butter and coconut sugar.  I was going to get that bubbling then cooled enough to pour over, to glaze the cake before serving.   Changed to an easier option though, as you can see.  Well. . .this didn't turn out as beautiful, blond, tall or fluffy as I had hoped, but it's really good!

Be creative!  Remember, I'm not a baker!
Sometimes it's fun to jump out of our comfort zone a bit and try something new. . .Lin

Orange Cardamom Almond Rice Pudding

¾c basmati rice

1½c water

½t cardamom

½c golden raisins

¼c finely chopped orange peel

a pinch of sea salt

¼c coconut sugar

½c chopped almonds

½c half and half

1t almond extract

I've always had trouble perfecting a recipe for rice pudding, but this time - I may have done it!  Yea!! 😊 Simmer the rice for 20 minutes in the water with the cardamom, raisins and orange peel.  Add the remaining ingredients, mix and put in a glass baking dish.  Sprinkle with a little more cardamon, coarse sugar and microwave for 7 minutes on high.  Spoon into each serving into a small bowl, top with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of coarse baker's sugar.  Indulge! . . .Lin

Sunshine Pound Cake

1c room temperature butter

1c sugar

4 lg. eggs

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1 orange

juice of ½ lemon

2c stirred all purpose flour

½t salt

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add the lemon and orange zest and lemon juice. Combine the flour and salt and spoon that into the mix beating well the whole time. Pour batter into a greased-floured loaf pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven about 1 hour or until top springs back.

Shake to loosen cake from pan. Turn out onto a cutting board. When cool top with a glaze made from 2-3T powdered sugar and just a few drops of lemon juice. . .Lin