Anyone who knows me at all knows how much I love margaritas; as a matter of fact my whole journey into the art of cocktail making started with this Margarita and it was life changing, well, in the sense that a cocktail can in fact change your life! I had certainly had enough margaritas over the years at local watering holes but I don't think I ever loved them. I realize now that cheap tequila and fake orange liqueur certainly was a part of that problem. Once I tried my hand at making one at home, using good ingredients, I was hooked. So when I saw a friend post this recipe for a Margarita Pound Cake, of course I was intrigued. Though the most old fashioned recipes might still call for a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs and a pound of flour, I just saw that this was close enough (some cream cheese did sneak in there) and I knew it would have that dense texture and rich flavor I expect from a pound cake but more than that, it was a Margarita Pound Cake. I'm sure I must have uttered, 'Oh my.' Pretty perfect for Cinco de Mayo sure, but why limit it to this one day?
I followed Marye's basic recipe to a 'T' but made a few revisions to some embellishments that we just loved. Her cake was going with her husband to work so she had to lay low on the tequila but not me. So I put it in the glaze and in the cake but I also make a syrup from orange, lime and lemon juices, sugar and tequila and poured it into holes I punched in the bottom and made sure it soaked into the crust as well. Once it had dried a bit, I used a brush to spread some of the glaze all over the cake on top of the syrup and then when it had also dried a bit, I dribbled more glaze on top of the cake. Not really hard...all that drying stuff happens pretty quickly when you're putting it on a cool cake.
Still, one of my favorite touches is the sugar, salt and lime garnish I sprinkled liberally all over the top of the cake. Marye's recipe calls for dusting the inside of the Bundt pan with pretzels but I didn't have any and since I don't love them I opted to not rush out and buy a bag but instead thought about how I could add that salt factor without them. One thing about my favorite margarita? I rim the glass with a combination of margarita (or kosher) salt and sugar; not only do I love it more than just salt but I have converted everyone who used to say 'hold the salt' as well. It's a nice balance, I thought it would add that slightly salty edge we expect from a margarita but not be really SALTY and I was right. Just to dress it up a bit more, I grated the rind from one lime into the salt and sugar combination. I loved it so much I can guarantee you that you will be seeing that combination rim my next margarita.
This cake. Is amazing. No words really. Perfectly put together ingredients with a real pound cake look and feel but with just enough citrus and tequila and yes, my fun sugar/salt/lime combo to really be reminiscent of a margarita. My favorite drink is now also my favorite cake. Go figure!
By the way, I planned this cake for my friend Sam's birthday celebration. When I heard it was Sam's birthday this past week, I invited him and his family to come down Sunday afternoon for cake and I would invite other neighbors. His daughter Lily was with him and asked if we could make it a surprise party. Aren't kids cute? So the invites went out, all the kids were instructed to show up a few minutes early to get party hats on and hide and Sam knew to show a bit late and ACT SURPRISED! I bought plates and napkins and my plans were set.
Until we got the news that one neighbor is expecting their second child. My plans were to make cupcakes for the kids and yes I could have given her a cupcake instead of Margarita Pound Cake but since she is vegetarian I've had enough other moments of feeding her something not quite up to snuff because I had prepared for a crowd (think Thanksgiving!) so I punted and made this Chocolate Pound Cake that I had seen posted on Facebook. One nice thing about pound cakes? They are so rich that they can serve an army. That chocolate cake was enough for 11 adults and 8 kids and some even had seconds! Everyone loved it Blaise, as a matter of fact it completely disappeared so I might have sobbed a bit...but I knew I had this one coming up next so it was a total win-win!
