As you’ll see from the below photo of me circa 1987-ish, I’ve always adored pound cake. When I was younger, we did a lot of camping in the summertime. Since my sisters and I have birthdays in June, July, and August, it always seemed we were celebrating someone’s birthday while camping. My mom’s default, bring-along-when-you-camp birthday cake was pound cake. It was unfussy, dense, and therefore sturdy enough to make the journey with us. It is simple but pleasing, and can be enjoyed with or without a fork, as I’m demonstrating here.
As an adult, I still love a good pound cake. I’ve got a few of my own spin-offs that are just slightly more... fun! This Citrus Pound Cake is my latest pound cake obsession. I developed the recipe for my husband’s birthday back in the spring, but quickly realized it is a “season-less” dessert. It’s light enough to serve anytime of year, but I’ve been thinking about what a welcome addition it would be on holiday tables as well. In fact, I think almost anyone would happily trade this for the typical sugary dried-fruit laden, overly boozy, fruit cakes that seem to be prevalent around the holidays.
Maybe it’s inspired by the absence of imbibing with friends (thanks Covid19), but I’ve been making a lot of boozy creations lately. Fear not, if you are not consuming alcohol, or will be feeding this cake to children, there is a non-alcoholic substitute! However, I highly recommend using an orange liqueur in this recipe if you can. The majority of the alcohol will bake off, but it does really give the cake a sophisticated richness and another “layer” of depth and flavor.
Be forewarned that orange liqueurs do range in sugar content. I would recommend using Grand Marnier if you can. It’s a little lower in sugar and has a very rich taste since it’s a brandy and cognac based liqueur.
Let’s talk about other ingredients: Tigernut flour is an awesome alternative to traditional wheat flour. It’s free of common allergens and actually not a nut at all. The tigernut is a small tuber that was very prominent in our early ancestor’s diets. Therefore, it’s easy for us to digest. Tigernuts are fiber-rich and have a somewhat sweet and nutty taste on their own. For that reason, I love working with tigernut flour in baking recipes. It really meshes well with the citrus flavors of this particular cake.
Now... perhaps you're feeling more like cupcakes than a cake? You're in luck! I recently made this recipe into cupcakes for my cousin’s birthday and they were a hit with Standard American Dieters, Paleo Dieters, Vegan Dieters, and Gluten Free folks alike (read: everyone will love this recipe and it works for almost any diet/lifestyle!).
If you decide to go the cupcake route, you’ll just need to adjust your baking time down to 18 - 22 minutes. This pound cake recipe will yield 16 cupcakes.
Since I was attending a birthday party, albeit socially distanced, I decided to dress the cupcakes up with some frosting. I was short on time, so I wound up using this store-bought frosting in a pinch. The texture and taste were great, and I stirred in a little orange extract and fresh orange zest into it to elevate it a bit. I will admit it was convenient, but just a little too sweet for my taste. Therefore, I’ll be developing a less sweet cake frosting recipe for you soon!
SO! Depending on the occasion, and how much time you have, you can go either way: pound cake or pound cake cupcakes. Either way, don’t expect many leftovers. ;)
Citrus Pound Cake (Egg Free)
Yield: 1 pound cake or 16 cupcakes
Ingredients:
4 flax eggs (4 T golden flaxseed meal + ¾ c warm water)
Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 c tigernut flour
1 1/2 c tapioca flour
3/4 c arrowroot flour
1 t xanthan gum (if you are sensitive to gums, this is optional)
Wet Ingredients:
1/3 c + 1 T Grand Marnier Liqueur (see alternative below)*
1/3 c full fat coconut milk
3/4 c coconut oil
2 t vanilla extract
1 t orange extract
2 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t fresh orange zest
3/4 c coconut sugar
Process:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease pan generously with coconut oil and set aside.
Next combine flaxseed meal and warm water. Stir thoroughly and set aside to allow flax eggs to thicken.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
Combine orange liqueur and coconut milk (wet ingredients) and set aside.
Next, add coconut oil, extracts, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, zest and sugar to your stand mixer and beat until fluffy. About 1 - 2 minutes.
Add the flax eggs, in four additions, allowing each to be fully beaten in before adding the next.
While beating at a low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and wet ingredients that you previously set aside, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Beat until just combined, taking care not to over beat! Your batter will be very viscous and somewhat elastic.
Pour or scoop batter into the greased bundt pan and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. You'll know it's done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out almost clean. Additionally, the cake should spring back when you poke it gently with one finger. (It’s important to note that when using alternative flours, the toothpick isn’t typically spotless, even when the cake is done.)
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for another 30 minutes before serving.
Notes: *If you prefer not to use an orange liqueur, or to make this recipe AIP compliant (elimination phase), you can substitute orange juice and add an additional teaspoon of orange extract.
About this Recipe:
vegan paleo dairy free egg free AIP* nut free vegetarian gluten free
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