Almond Pound Cake with Orange Glaze

Ingredients

• 5 ounces almond paste, grated
• 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 4 ounces butter, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 5x9x3-inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray.
2. In a stand mixer, begin beating the almond paste on low speed. Add the sugar little by little as the mixer runs, raising the speed gradually, until the sugar is worked in. Add the butter and beat on high speed until the mixture looks pale, smooth, and airy, about 5-6 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing for a minute after each egg goes in. Mix in the orange zest, vanilla, and Greek yogurt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt with some energy so everything is evenly combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter, almond paste, and egg mixture in thirds, stirring after each addition until the batter is fully blended.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and set it on the lower middle rack of the oven. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50-55 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, the top bounces back when gently pressed, and a tester poked into the center comes out clean. If the top starts browning too much while it bakes, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
6. Take the cake out of the oven and set it on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes. After that, gently turn it out of the pan and leave it on the rack until completely cool.
7. As the cake cools, prepare the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve into a medium bowl to get rid of lumps. Whisk in the orange juice and lemon juice, then stir in the zest. If the glaze seems too thin, add more sugar; if it is thicker than you like, loosen it with more juice.
8. Once the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving plate and spoon the glaze over the top.