Bay Leaf Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze

Call it “Food Foraging 2.0” – when I posted a plea for fresh, culinary bay leaves on our neighborhood social network.  I was “Jonesing” for a pound cake using bay leaves and oranges that I spied in David Lebovitz’ “My Paris Kitchen” cookbook, and had to try it.  Then.  Right then.  As in I could not wait two days until my neighborhood farmers’ market would offer a supply of the fresh herb.

OK and my food column was due in five days, so I needed to bake.  Now.  Right now.

     Lucky for us in the Bay Area, bay laurel has a home.  It grows quite heartily here.  Just not in my yard.  (Thinking I’ll plant a bush come spring planting!  Oh wait, that’s now…)

     Piedmont neighbors are the best!  Within the hour I had several offers to “help myself” to whatever I needed.  Super fresh, heady with fruity fragrance, beautiful bay leaves!  Just so you know, the Thomas Farm booth at the Grand Lake Farmers’ Market usually has plenty of fresh bay leaves, and other stands too.  You can also use dried bay leaves in the recipe.  Just make sure they are still vibrant as their flavor is essential to the cake’s flavor.  If the bay leaves in your cupboard are grey, crumbly and you can’t remember when you bought them, chances are they are past their prime.

     About the cake:  As you can see from the photos, it bakes beautifully with a nice rise and firm texture.  Lebovitz uses a unique method for a pound cake – you melt the butter and infuse it with bay leaves before adding it to additional wet ingredients.  The wet mixture is then quickly and gently folded into the dry ingredients.  This method is different than typical pound cake recipes where you beat the blazes out of the butter and sugar, and then the eggs, to incorporate air and create a lighter texture.

     Lebovitz was pastry chef at Chez Panisse for many years.  I had the good fortune to taste many of his creations during his time there, and now that he has turned to authoring cookbooks, we can all enjoy his creativity.

Bay Leaf Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze

Adapted from David Lebovitz,  My Paris Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (to melt), plus 1 tablespoon (softened for the top), plus a few dabs
• 10 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1-2/ 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, aluminum-free
• 1/ 2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/ 2 cup sour cream
• Zest of one blood orange, finely grated
• 1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 1/ 4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons blood orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add 3 of the bay leaves.  Let steep for 1 hour.  Discard the bay leaves.  (Rewarm the butter slightly if needed to pick out the leaves.)
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan.  Dust with flour, tapping out any excess.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.  Dab one side of the remaining bay leaves with a bit of butter, and place the leaves, evenly spaced, on the bottom of the prepared load pan, buttered side down.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, orange zest and vanilla until combined. Pour the melted butter into the wet ingredients and stir until blended.
5. Use a rubber spatula to stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, just until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, taking care to not disturb the bay leaves.  Put the remaining 1 tablespoon of softened butter in a plastic bag and snip off a corner, then draw a straight line of the butter down the center of the cake.  Bake for about 45 – 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and then tip the cake out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze:  Combine the powdered sugar and orange juice to reach the consistency of warm honey.  Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

Note:  Do not eat the bay leaves.  They’ve done their bit by infusing the cake with their fruity perfume.