Ricotta Orange Pound Cake

Oh my, this pound cake is wonderful. Though it proves, once again, that I cannot get these suckers out of the pan without them completely falling apart. The first piece of evidence of this situation can't be found on this blog, for some reason (the cake wasn't that fabulous, so maybe that's why?). But here is Exhibit A, a Paula Deen pound cake gone wrong:



Then there's absolutely scrumptious Exhibit B:



So yeah, it's not a pretty cake. But it was so yummy that I will be trying it again. I will try greasing and flouring the pan and see if maybe that helps. *fingers crossed*

The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was use almond extract instead of amaretto (mostly because I ran out of time to get to the liquor store). And I've really started enjoying the combination of orange and chocolate, so I paired this cake with my malted chocolate ice cream.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake
A variation on this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis



3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend.

Using a mixer, cream the butter, ricotta and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest and almond extract until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. To wrap, return to the pan and dust with confectioners' sugar.