Orange You Glad I Made Shortcake
Ingredients
- 2 C flour
- ½ t baking powder
- ¼ t salt
- ¼ t cinnamon
- 5 eggs
- ½ t vanilla extract
- 1 C butter , softened (2 sticks)
- 1½ C + 2 T sugar, evaporated cane juice, or maple sugar
- juice of 2 oranges
- zest of 2 oranges
- 1 qt strawberries
- vanilla powder or vanilla extract, to taste, whipped cream, ice cream, mint leaves, and/or additional orange zest (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour one 9-1/2” x 5-1/2” x 2-3/4” loaf pan or one 10-1/2”, 3” deep tube (bundt) pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon twice. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1-1/2 c. sugar gradually, making sure it is incorporated before adding more. When all of the sugar added, beat another two minutes at medium speed. Add the egg mixture a little at a time, beating well at medium speed after each addition. When all of the eggs are added, beat at high speed for one more minute.
- Add the dry ingredients by sprinkling over the batter a little at a time and folding them in, again making sure it is incorporated before adding more.
- On low speed, add the orange juice and zest, beating only long enough to mix it together completely. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, pushing the batter up the sides of the pan to prevent excess rising in the center.
- Bake the loaf pan for 70 – 80 minutes or the tube pan for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Cool for ten minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then turn out and finish cooling out of the pan on the rack.
- While the cake cools, wash, hull and slice the strawberries into a bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. sugar on the berries and stir well to get the berry juices flowing. You may also add vanilla powder or a small amount of vanilla extract to taste at this time. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating.
- When you are ready to serve, slice the pound cake and alternate with the berries and whipped cream or ice cream if you like. Garnish with orange zest or mint leaves.