the last bite

In my personal opinion, the most important part of a meal is almost always dessert. While the first bite of your meal sets the tone for the rest of the meal, it's that last bite that you take at the end of your meal that leaves you with the memory of the meal. No matter how good or bad your meal was, if you end on a high note, you'll always remember it that way. Often, people discount or discredit dessert, but if you're dining with me, you'll always get dessert. Nothing is better than ending your meal on a sweet note. I love having something sweet at the end of every meal, and especially when I have friends over, I always make dessert (plus, it gives me an excuse to bake something new and share it with others so I don't eat it all myself!)

Last weekend, my roommate and I had some of our friends over for dinner. My roommate and I are both adventurous in the kitchen, as are many of our friends. For dinner, we had a trip to Mexico --fish tacos, fresh guacamole, spiced Spanish potatoes, fresh tomato and corn salad, and more. It was so incredibly delicious that I knew I had to make something awesome to end the meal on a high note. My roommate decided to make chocolate filled strawberries (think chocolate covered strawberries, but inside out), and I knew i wanted to go with something fresh and citrus-y to top off our amazing Mexican meal. Not making something with chocolate is a big step for me, but I am always trying to expand my expertise and make all of my guests happy.

This pound cake turned out pretty much perfectly. It was just perfectly browned, incredibly moist, and full of flavor. Served with whipped cream and a few chocolate filled strawberries on the side, and you have the most delicious dessert south of the border. Both decadent and fresh at the same time, this was the perfect way to end our meal. Try making this recipe, and I promise, it will be good to the last bite.

Orange Pound Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups gf flour mix (ap flour would work nicely here as well)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tsp fresh orange zest
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt

light and fluffy butter and sugar gives the cake major volume!

perfectly baked

moist and delicious

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until very light and fluffy (about 8 minutes)
Scrape down the bowl and beat for 1 more minute
Add the vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest
Add in the eggs one at a time until all combined
With the mixer on low, add the salt and then gradually add in the flour, scraping down the bowl as needed
Pour the batter into a 4 1/2x 8 1/2 inch loaf pan, buttered and floured
Bake for 65 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center
Let cool on a wire rack
Slice and enjoy!!

the perfect last bite.