ORANGE-GLAZED PECAN SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Chocolate and orange are two of my favorite flavor combos.  In this pound cake, they are superb.  First, I added orange zest and orange extract to a pecan sour cream pound cake recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  Then I brushed a syrupy orange glaze over the baked cake.  Finally, I covered the top and sides with a luscious chocolate ganache.  Served with vanilla or chocolate ice cream, this is a dessert made in heaven.
This pound cake is super moist and delicious all by itself, so feel free to leave out the chocolate ganache.  You can even leave out the orange glaze and it will still be good.  But for an extra-special dessert, make everything and savor each morsel.  It’s a big cake, and if you can’t use it all at once, you can freeze it in sections.  Pound cake improves the next day, and the next several days, but I tend to freeze everything right away and pull out of the freezer what I need at the time. 

Orange-Glazed Pecan Sour Cream Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache Adapted from allrecipes.com Rating:  9.5 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS:  Pound Cake:  1 cup chopped or broken pecans 3 cups low-protein flour (I used White Lily All-Purpose) 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest 2-1/3 cups white sugar 6 large eggs, room temperature 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 tsp. orange extract 1 cup sour cream, room temperature Grease and flour a 10” bundt or tube pan.  Sprinkle pecans on bottom of pan; set aside.  Sift together flour, salt and baking soda into a medium bowl; whisk to combine; set aside. In mixing bowl of stand mixer, use paddle attachment on medium speed to cream butter, zest and sugar till light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in flavorings.  Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream.  Pour the thick and cream batter over pecans in prepared pan.  Place pan in cold oven.  Turn oven on at 300F.  Bake 75 to 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake returns clean.  Let cake cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.  Brush orange glaze (recipe below) over warm cake and let cool thoroughly.  Frost sides and top thinly with chocolate ganache (recipe below).  Decorate top with whole pecans. NOTES:  When you check the cake for doneness, run your finger over the toothpick.  It may look clean, but if the pick feels gummy, bake it longer.  (My cake took 85 minutes for perfect doneness and super moist cake.)  If you purchase White Lily flour, be sure it is all-purpose, not self-rising.  Orange Glaze:  2 Tbsp. butter 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. orange zest 3 Tbsp. orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec or Cointreau 1 tsp. orange extract In small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, zest and liqueur.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook till syrupy, stirring as necessary.  Remove from heat and stir in extract. Chocolate Ganache and Garnish:  1/4 cup heavy cream 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips about 9 whole pecans In small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat till very hot.  Stir in chips till smooth.