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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Couple of pounds of cake fit for a summer treat

By: Alison Gillmor

Posted: 07/4/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Easy orange yogurt cake (top) and grilled pound cake with blueberry sauce are enticing desserts. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

IN response to a swapper request for pound cake that can be served with summer fruit, we have an easy orange yogurt cake from Ruth Neumann. We also have a recipe that combines grilled pound cake with blueberry sauce.

And here's a novel Recipe Swap request. I got a wonderfully funny letter from a reader named Louisa describing her disastrous experiences making dog biscuits for her two Shih Tzus. She's wondering if somebody has an easy, no-fail recipe for homemade dog treats. (Finally, a chance for me to use my dogbone-shaped cookie cutter!) If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you'd like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

Easy orange yogurt cake

170 g (3/4 cup) butter, softened

310 ml (1 1/4 cup) white sugar

3 eggs

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

125 ml (1/2 cup) plain yogurt

125 ml (1/2 cup) orange juice

30 ml (2 tbsp) grated orange zest

500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

2 ml (1/2 tsp) baking soda

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

Preheat oven to 175C (350F). Prepare a 22x13cm (9x5 in) loaf pan by greasing and flouring or by lining with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, yogurt, orange juice and orange zest and beat 1 minute. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mix well. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes and then carefully remove cake from pan. Cake can be kept at room temperature for 3 days.

Tester's notes: Not as fine-crumbed as some pound cakes, this easy loaf has a moist, buttery texture and lovely orange flavour. Ruth sometimes swaps in lemons for oranges, and in the winter she adds dried cranberries or frozen blueberries. In summer, she piles it with strawberries and whipping cream or ice cream (or sometimes both, she adds).

I quickly whisked the dry ingredients together before adding them -- I have a terror of baking soda lumps -- but Ruth likes the convenience of the one-bowl method.

Grilled pound cake with blueberry sauce

500 ml (2 cups) blueberries

15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice

15-30 ml (1-2 tbsp) white sugar

1 ml (1/4 tsp) vanilla

60 ml (1/4 cup) water

7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) cornstarch

15 ml (1 tbsp) water

1 pound cake, sliced about 2 cm (3/4 in) thick

melted butter

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine blueberries, lemon juice, 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar, vanilla and 60 ml (1/4 cup) water. Cook until blueberries are softened, about 8-10 minutes. Taste and add remaining sugar, if desired. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 15 ml (1 tbsp) water. Stir into the blueberry mixture and cook, stirring often, until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Brush slices of pound cake with melted butter. On a slow grill or using a grill pan over medium-low heat, grill slices of pound cake until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes on each side. Place toasted cake on a plate and top with some blueberry sauce.

Tester's notes: Grilling pound cake might sound strange, but it really does give a nice crisp, golden edge to the familiar dessert. You can adjust the sugar and lemon content to suit your taste.

If you're using your barbecue grill, make sure it's clean. (You don't want bratwurst fat getting onto your pound cake.) I used a grill pan -- a cast-iron skillet with a built-in raised grill -- on the stove.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 4, 2012 C4

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