Orange Ginger Pound Cake

Even though the forecast here is for snow and icy winter weather, this Orange Ginger Pound Cake seems like sunshine and a warm breeze to me. The merger of fresh oranges and ginger root have a taste that suggest all is well with the world, even when the wind is howling outside. The inspiration for this recipe came from Tracy Ceurvels, a NYC food writer who wrote about this cake in January 2014 Relish Magazine. I have adapted her glorious recipe mainly by reducing the amount of sugar and by using vanilla yogurt in my cake. I also baked my cake in a non-traditional pan for pound cakes, a deep round rather than a loaf pan. This also allowed the baking time to be shortened.

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Orange Ginger Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely minced, peeled fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/3 cup mild olive oil or vegetable oil

Orange syrup
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 3-inch round cake pan. (Or use cooking spray and line with parchment paper.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, ginger root, orange zest, and oil; beat until well blended. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
To make the orange syrup, combine orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves. Turn cake out onto a parchment paper lined tray, then while cake is still warm, poke holes in top and pour orange syrup over cake, allowing to soak into cake. Cooled cake can be transferred to a serving plate.
To make glaze, combine powdered sugar and orange juice, stirring until smooth. When cake is completely cool, drizzle glaze over top of cake.

This is such a flavorful cake; orange and ginger are made for each other.