Pound Cake With Grand Marnier Poached Apricots Recipes

Steps:

• For cake:
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°F. Butter and flour pan. Whisk salt, cream of tartar, cardamom, and 3 cups flour in a medium bowl.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 2 cups butter until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until very light and creamy, 6-8 minutes longer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until mostly combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70-80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool completely before turning out.
• DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• For apricots and assembly:
• Bring Grand Marnier, granulated sugar, and 2/3 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add apricots and ginger, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until apricots are very soft, 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
• Remove ginger just before serving. Serve cake with apricots and syrup and whipped cream.
• DO AHEAD: Apricots can be poached 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Steps:

• 1. For the cake, preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 10 inch fluted tube pan. Set aside.
• 2. In a large bowl with mixer on high speed, beat butter til creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating til mixture is light and fluffy. Turn mixer speed to low.l
• 3. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Beat just til flour is absorbed. Beat in Grand Marnier and orange zest. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 4. Spread batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top evenly. Bake til cake shrinks from side of pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean, about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Let stand in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold cake onto a second rack. placed over a piece of wax paper or foil
• 5. For gflaze: mix the orange juice, Grand Marnier and sugar in a small pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower heat and simmer til mixture forms a light syrup, about 5 minutes. Brush the syrup all over the warm cake. When the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving plate.