Take shelter, old horses, a storm is coming. I thought these words when the wind picked up. I passed a farm on my way home from getting eggs and milk. The world's been dark. A grey May to greet me. The window only stays half-open, my eyes half-closed.
I spent yesterday in ill-fitted jeans and a cardigan I bought at a thrift store when we first moved to California. Oversized, it still smells of smoke and tobacco around the collar. I watched Milo from the kitchen window, eating a blade of grass and stepping in mud. I thought of all the right things I've said to all the wrong boys. I thought about how my shoulders ache, carrying the half-lives of two people for so long.
It stayed dark all damn day. A cold darkness. Desaturated around the edges. Even when the sun didn't set until 8:41, the light stopped just short of the driveway. I baked a cake to break the boredom, a cake that was tangy and soft. A cake that provided me with a way to let the soft hues of summer scatter between the rainclouds. I made a poundcake spiked with Grand Marnier, held together by cultured butter. It kept the house warm, having the oven on. It gave me something to do. It filled the house with a smell of orange and iron and I took shelter in its warmth. The storms came, then they passed on by. It's been a slow week here in Pennsylvania.
Grand Marnier Poundcake
The simplicity of this recipe means I chose to use the best butter I could get my hands on. Vermont Creamery's Cultured Butter is, by far, a favorite of mine in this recipe. Luxurious, tangy, and full-flavored, every bite was a testament to its necessity in this recipe. Makes one poundcake, in a 5" x 10" loaf pan (mine is from Lodge)
Ingredients:
- 3 cup AP flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk or whole milk
- 3 tablespoon Grand Marnier
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ pound butter (preferably cultured), room temperature
- 2 tablespoon shortening
- 2 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Directions:
- Prepare a loaf pan and preheat oven to 350*F
- Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside
- Whisk together milk, Grand Marnier, orange zest, and vanilla and set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together butter, shortening, and sugar until light (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high)
- Add egg, one at a time, until all are incorporated
- Alternate between adding dry and wet ingredients to the mixer, with speed on low. Mix until all is incorporated. You may find a rubber spatula is best at the end
- Pour into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Begin checking at the 50 minute-mark. Depending on the oven, as this is a heavy batter, it may require up to an hour and fifteen minutes
- Allow to cool slightly before serving
- Can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days
