Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

My Cozy Up with a Newf and a Bowl of Hunter's Minestrone post, earlier this week, was the first in a series of posts sharing our ringside menu for the Newfoundland Club of San Diego Regional Specialty Show.  Several breed specialty shows will be held tomorrow, in conjunction with the Silver Bay Kennel Club AKC All-Breed Shows on Saturday and Sunday.  Technically, the Del Mar Fairgrounds won't allow the clubs to bring in 'catered' food for their specialty shows, because there are contracted food vendors on-site.  However, potluck is tolerated.  Therefore, we (as in me and John) are preparing a potluck to be served from a clandestine location, within close proximity to the show ring.

To accompany Tyler's Ultimate Hot Chocolate, freshly brewed coffee, and a few other baked goodies, I made two Ricotta Orange Pound Cakes.  The cake is dense, as pound cake should be, but is very moist  and has subtle hints of orange and almond...oh, how I love Amaretto liqueur.  Fresh strawberries, plain, or macerated in a little sugar and balsamic vinegar, adds a nice sweet and colorful touch, but this cake is perfectly satifying on its own.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries
Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons Amaretto
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 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 combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and 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 Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

I'm headed back to the kitchen...it's much more fun than practicing law these days!