Spiced Pound Cake With Lemon Basil-Orange Syrup

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.04

Title: SPICED POUND CAKE WITH LEMON BASIL-ORANGE SYRUP
Categories: Cakes
Yield: 2 Loaf cakes

MMMMM----------------------------CAKE---------------------------------
3/4 lb Unsalted butter; room temp
1 lb Powdered sugar
6 lg Eggs; lightly beaten
1 tb Vanilla extract
2 3/4 c All-purpose flour; sifted
1 tb Nutmeg

MMMMM------------------LEMON BASIL-ORANGE SYRUP-----------------------
1 c Orange juice
1/2 c Water
2 c Sugar
1 c Lemon basil leaves, fresh;
-minced

"Dense and moist, this lightly spiced pound cake makes a lovely
warm-weather dessert; the Lemon Basil-Orange syrup is the perfect
flavor companion for this buttery cake. This recipe makes two cakes;
if you can only use one at a time I suggest freezing the second cake,
wrapped tightly in plastic and then in foil. However, once the cakes
are drizzled with the syrup they will keep at cool room temperature
for up to one week."

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans
and dust lightly with flour.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy.
Gradually sift the powdered sugar into the butter, stirring
occasionally to partially combine. When all the sugar has been added,
beat until fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each
addition. Add the vanilla, flour, and nutmeg; mix well. Divide the
batter between the two pans.

Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 45 minutes. Rotate the pans to
the top rack and bake for 10 minutes longer or until a toothpick
inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool in pans for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Lemon Basil-Orange Syrup:

Place the orange juice, water, sugar, and basil in a deep-sided
saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 15 minutes,
stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from boiling over. When
the mixture is thick and syrupy, remove from the heat and strain.
Cool to room temperature. If the syrup becomes thicker than pouring
consistency, thin with about 2 tablespoons of very hot water.

Using a long, thin, wooden skewer, poke each cake all over from the
top to the bottom. Drizzle half of the syrup over each cake, taking
care to spread the syrup evenly into the tiny holes. Let cakes stand
at least 2 hours before serving or cover with foil and keep up to 1
week in the pan. To serve, remove the room-temperature cakes from
pans and cut into 1-inch slices. Garnish with sprigs of basil.

Source: "Basil" by Janet Hazen

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