This pound cake is a great recipe to have on hand for a delicious, fool-proof dessert that everyone will love. The addition of cream cheese in the batter gives this pound cake a little extra flavor and moistness. Baking in a bundt pan offers a beautiful presentation pretty enough for any occasion. A liberal drizzle of strawberry coulis made with fresh in-season strawberries and Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur provides the perfect burst of bright flavor and color to the buttery rich cake.
You can easily make the cake and the coulis in advance. Make sure to wrap the still warm cake in plastic wrap and then place in an air-tight tupperware container kept at room temperature to keep it moist. The strawberry coulis will be fine for a few days in the fridge.
Here is how you can make your own.
You can find the basic recipe here. Start by spraying a 12 cup bundt pan with Pam for Baking and set aside. Preheat oven to 325. In my oven, I placed the rack onto the second from the bottom rung.
Cake: Place butter and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
Add sugar and increase speed to high, beating until light an airy for at least 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each egg.
Add the vanilla and almond extracts, then add the flour mixture all at once and beat until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and shake to even out batter. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
I baked mine for exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 1 hour I covered the cake with aluminum foil and then baked for the remaining 15 minutes.
Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If not serving immediately, wrap the warm cake in plastic wrap and place in an air tight tupperware container at room temperature until ready to serve. Wrapping the cake while warm helps to keep it moist longer.
Strawberry Coulis: In a blender combine strawberries, 1/4 cup water (I used 1/4 cup Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur instead of water), 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Puree until very smooth then press through a strainer to remove seeds. Cover and refrigerate until cold before pouring over cake.
Assembly: Lightly dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. When ready to serve, cut pieces and drizzle with strawberry coulis.
