Ginger Macadamia Nut Pound Cake

I served this ginger macadamia nut pound cake with the pineapple sorbet from my last post and don't get me wrong, they were good together, ask my husband Scott.  But I would serve slices of this mildly spicy and delicate crumbed cake with afternoon tea or coffee any day of the week in a heart beat.  The flavors of the fresh and crystallized ginger paired with the small bits of chopped macadamia nuts sends me and this pound cake into orbit.  I am happy to have discovered this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, 'Baking In America' by Greg Patent.  I am not quite ready to change the name of my blog to 'Patty's Sorbets and Many Things Baked with Macadamia Nuts' but it's an idea that's growing on me.  Okay I know it's long...

This past week I have been asked to play a blogging game, Chef Dennis from one of my favorite sites More Than A Mount Full and Gitte from another site filled with great recipes My Danish Kitchen have tagged me with questions so in the interest of only answering a few-here goes...

1.  Who had the greatest influence on your love for food and learning to cook?

First my mother and her sister who were outstanding home cooks who were devoted to preparing meals for their respective families.  My mother always grew and cooked with fresh herbs.  She stressed using  fresh seasonal ingredients and always enjoyed entertaining in her home.  My Aunt lived on a farm and always grew fresh vegetables, I can remember eating fresh green beans and tomatoes right out of her garden.  She was an expert home baker whose specialties included angel food cakes, pies, cakes, cookies, dill pickles and the best cracked crab salads known to all of mankind:)

2.  What was the best meal you ever had?

My husband Scott and I enjoyed a spectacular meal at the Michelin starred restaurant Chateau Les Crayères in Reims, France.  Our summer evening meal commenced with  Champagne and hors d'oeuvres on the terrace of a Belle Epoque limestone mansion surrounded by a beautiful park on the edge of Reims.  We were then escorted into the main dining room for the rest of our meal.  This experience was several years ago but the one dish that still stands out for me was a salad  with  foie gras.  I also tried an excellent comté cheese and fell in love with the experience.

3.  What is your favorite go to dish, to cook or bake?

I love to use herbs especially in salads.  Last night I made chicken paillard with salad using frisée, hazelnuts, fresh figs and goat cheese, Scott loved it.  Tonight I'm making pasta with Italian sausages, roasted red peppers, green beans, shallots, garlic, fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.  I also like to make fresh salsa.  I never post what we have for dinner on my blog because it's usually too dark to take a picture of the finished plate.  Maybe someday I will figure out how to do that.  I bake pretty much every week and usually in the morning so if there is decent light I will photograph what I've made and post the recipe on my blog.  I like to bake bread, cakes, cookies, scones or muffins and some of you have probably noticed that I made several sorbets this summer.

4.  What is your favorite holiday? and why?

My favorite holiday is Christmas, this year I'm going to rediscover it and enjoy sharing all the traditions from my parents with my grandchildren.  We always had Danish flags on our tree, from my father's heritage and a gazillion baked goodies from my mother.  We always read The Night Before Christmas and enjoyed fish soup for dinner on Christmas Eve, see I'm getting excited just thinking about it:)

5.  Share some pictures from a recent trip.  I added this one because I want to share my love of history and photography!

Okay, that's all I can do for now and I need to think about my questions and who I want to tag?????

Tombstones from Old Settler's Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina

Ingredients and Directions for Ginger Macadamia Nut Pound Cake

adapted from 'Baking in America' by Greg Patent

Makes one 9 inch tube cake, about 12-16 servings

Preheat the oven to 350°F

3 cups sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup salted or unsalted macadamia nuts

1/3 cup crystallized ginger, cut into small 1/4 inch pieces

2 sticks or 1 cup unsalted butter

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

Butter a 9 inch tube pan or coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Re sift the flour with the salt.  Combine the macadamia nuts with 1/2 cup of the flour in a food processor.  Pulse 4 or 5 times for about 1 second each time, until the nuts are chopped in small pieces.  The pieces will be different sizes but they should all be on the small side.  Place this mixture in a small bowl and stir in the crystallized ginger.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer until smooth, about one minute.  Increase the speed to medium high and add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.  Continue to beat for about 5-6 minutes until fluffy and almost white in color.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each egg.  Beat in the fresh ginger.

On a low speed beat in about half of the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.  Add the macadamia nut/flour mixture and beat to mix.  Gradually add the rest of the flour mixture and beat only until no flour shows.  Scraping the bowl spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the pan on a rack.  Run a thin bladed knife around the inside edges and gently ease out the cake.  Let the cake cool completely before tightly wrapping and let stand overnight before serving.