Dessert Any Way You Like It . . .

I think one of my favorite desserts is a fresh pound cake with a bit of citrus scent wafting through the kitchen as it cools. Reading through the recipe, you can see this is an easy recipe with no mysterious ingredients you have to search for in the dark corners of the grocery store! The real magic comes when your cake is cooling and you decide how you want to serve it. Now, a simple slice of slightly warm cake is always a most welcome thing. However, there ARE other options!

Strawberries in season? Clean and slice up a generous amount, sugar to taste, and let set so the juices of the strawberries have dissolved the sugar into a sweet sauce. Put a spoonful of the berries on each slice of cake, follow up with whipped cream, and serve.

Feel like chocolate? Vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce over each slice will magically make the cake disappear.

Just some fresh, diced pineapple would work well. If it is a grownup dinner, soak the prepared pineapple in a tablespoon of rum or brandy an hour before serving.

Fresh and Lively Pound Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter (margarine will be okay but butter is terrific!)
1 generous cup of granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a vegetable spray, prepare a regular-sized loaf pan. Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar until well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Add the nutmeg, extracts and zest. Gently fold in the dry ingredients. Smooth into the loaf pan. Bake for approximately an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be well-browned and cracked. Cool thoroughly in pan before removing and slicing.