Pound Cake with Various Glaze Options

Grease and flour a tube or Bundt pan (I like Baker's Joy Spray for this). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together (don't over beat) butter and granulated sugar. Add, eggs one at a time, blending well. Add, 2 cups flour alternating with 1 cup milk or half and half. Mix well. Then add 1 cup sifted flour mixed with baking powder and salt. Add vanilla extract and orange liquor, brandy or bourbon or orange juice concentrate. Pour batter into greased and floured pan and gently drop upright pan on counter to bring any air bubbles to the top and slice through with a knife.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Drizzle with glaze, if you want. I don't.

Orange Glaze: Combine confectioners sugar, orange rind and orange juice. Drizzle over warm cake.

Lemon-Orange Glaze: Glaze: Stir vanilla into sugar until a runny paste is formed. Stir in peel and enough juice to make glaze pourable. When cake is completely cooled, turn out of pan onto serving plate and drizzle glaze over the top.

Emeril's Orange Glaze: For the orange syrup: In a saucepan, combine the fresh orange juice and the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Brush the top of the cake with the orange syrup. Let the cake sit for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and some of the milk. Whisk until smooth. Pour the frosting over each cake letting the excess drip down the sides of the cake. Using a knife, spread the frosting evenly over the sides of the cakes... Allow the frosting to set.

Lemon Glaze: Combine sugar, lemon juice and water in a saucepan. Stir smooth, then heat over very low heat, just until lukewarm. Add pure vanilla extract. Drizzle over cake.

Orange Or Lemon Glaze: Melt butter, add sugar and slowly add orange juice, pour over warm cake.

cook's notes

If you want to use sour cream in the cake instead of milk (or half and half), add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to last flour mix. This recipe is delicious and is beautiful when baked at below 2500 feet altitude. See your cookbook to adjust flour for high altitude.