3 MINI POUND CAKES (LEMON POPPY, BLOOD ORANGE, & BROWNIE GANACHE)

Happy Easter! Here's a fun, delicious, recipe for you to enjoy! Try the lemon poppy seed, blood orange, and brownie ganache.

RECIPE BELOW:

Mini pound cake tin: http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-2105-3972-Perfect-Results-8-Cavity/dp/B00FL62D1C

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LEMON POPPY SEED POUND CAKE:
Yields: 8 mini cakes or 1 regular cake
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
4 tsp poppy seeds
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
Add your butter and sugar to your stand mixer, and mix until well combined. Then add in your sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, and poppy seeds together. Make sure to scrape dow the sides of the bowl periodically.
Next add in your eggs, baking powder, salt, and slowly your flour, until the batter is well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, all the way to the bottom, and then mix again until everything is well combined.
*Spray your baking tin with baking spray (or butter and then flour). Add your batter 3/4 of the way full and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F. Stick a tooth pick into the cakes. If it comes out clean, it's finished baking.

LEMON SYRUP:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Add both ingredients to a sauce pan and cook on medium heat until all of the sugar has dissolved into the lemon juice. Set aside until ready to use. Then poke holes with a tooth pick on both the top and bottom of your cakes. With a clean baking brush, soak the cakes with the syrup.

LEMON ICING:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Mix both ingredients together until smooth. Then dip top of pound cakes in icing.

BLOOD ORANGE POUND CAKE:
Yields: 8 mini cakes or 1 regular cake
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp blood orange zest
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
Add your butter and sugar to your stand mixer, and mix until well combined. Then add in your sour cream, vanilla extract, orange juice and orange zest together. Make sure to scrape dow the sides of the bowl periodically.
Next add in your eggs, baking powder, salt, and slowly your flour, until the batter is well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, all the way to the bottom, and then mix again until everything is well combined.
*Spray your baking tin with baking spray (or butter and then flour). Add your batter 3/4 of the way full and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F. Stick a tooth pick into the cakes. If it comes out clean, it's finished baking.

BLOOD ORANGE SYRUP:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of fresh blood orange juice
8 blood orange slices

DIRECTIONS:
Add the sugar and juice to a sauce pan and give it a mix. Then add the orange slices to the sauce pan making sure to submerge them in the sugar mixture. cook on low heat for 20 minutes, flipping once half way through the cook time, so the slices cook evenly on both sides.

BLOOD ORANGE ICING:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp of fresh blood orange juice

DIRECTIONS:
Mix both ingredients together until smooth. Then dip top of pound cakes in icing.

BROWNIE GANACHE:
Yields: 8 mini cakes or 1 regular cake
1 cup butter, melted
2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
Add your butter and sugar to your stand mixer, and mix until well combined. Then add in your cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, and slowly add in your flour. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, all the way to the bottom, and then mix again until everything is well combined.
Spray your baking tin with baking spray (or butter and then flour). Add your batter 3/4 of the way full and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.
*Stick a tooth pick into the cakes. If it comes out clean, it's finished baking.

GANACHE TOPPING:
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup of chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Add chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave safe dish. Heat for 1 minute in 2, 30 second intervals.Mix together until the chocolate has completely melted. Poor on top of pound cakes. Then add whole chocolate chips on top of ganache.
*you can also use a double boiler if you prefer, but it will take longer.