'Pat a Cake'- Cream cheese pound cake with orange zest

Since last evening 'E' has been down with cold.He is sneezing,has runny nose and is...pretty cranky! That means only one thing......me spending minimal time in the kitchen! Did not even cook anything for lunch.Asked 'M' to eat at work cafeteria,I ate the leftovers from the fridge and made only some warm rice and 'aamti' (daal) for 'E'.

So there is nothing 'new' I have here to share.But....

Good news.....tadah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been taking pictures and saving the recipes.....whenever I bake something (May be I thought..I will publish it one day!) Here is one such recipe...

What I had liked about it was.....it was a pound cake but made with adding cream cheese and orange zest.It was so much more flavorful than ordinary plain cake and pretty easy to bake.

The recipe comes from 'www.JoyofBaking.com'.This website has numerous recipes and many tips and tools for baking better.

Ingredients:
1) 3 cups (420 grams) all purpose flour
2) 1 teaspoons baking powder
3) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4) 1/2 teaspoon salt
5) 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6) 1-8 ounce (226 grams) package cream cheese, room temperature
7) 3 cups (600 grams) superfine or castor sugar
8) 6 large eggs, room temperature
9) 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
10) Zest of a lemon or orange (optional)
Note: To make your own superfine sugar - place 3 cups (600 grams) granulated white sugar in bowl of food processor. Process until very fine, about 30 seconds.
Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour a 10 inch (25 cm) bundt pan.
2)In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3)In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, in three additions, beating well after each addition. Continue beating on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 - 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, if using, and beat until incorporated.
4) Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
5) Bake for 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6) Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely. (The cake is cooled in the pan first for about 20 minutes so the cake has time to set. The cake may collapse if you try to remove it from the pan too early.)
7) Serves 10 - 12 people.
8) Will keep several days well wrapped at room temperature and over a week when refrigerated. Can also be frozen.
Note: Serve plain or dusted with confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar). This cake is very nice when served with fresh berries and softly whipped cream. The acidity of the berries compliments the sweetness and richness of the cake. Also good with ice creams and/or strawberry or raspberry purees. Leftovers can be toasted lightly.

My Variations:

1) I halved the recipe and used everything 1/2 of what they say

2) I used a normal 'loaf' pan instead of a bundt pan