At the Market | Red Currants & Red Currant Pound Cake

Red currants are one of the prettiest pieces of fruit out there.  Their glassy, bead-like shape and tangled greenery grace us with their appearance only for a short period of time each summer and that time is now.  Unless you don't mind very bitter foods, there are very few people that can eat these straight off the vine. Currants need to be swirled with a bit of sugar to make their flavor palatable, in my humble opinion, so I opted to make one of my favorite desserts  - pound cake.  What I love about this dessert serves as a great base for berries, chocolate and other spices.  This recipe for Red Currant Pound Cake fits the bill for a buttery summer desert that is sure to be  crowd pleaser!

For a recipe incorporating black currants, try this recipe for Black Currant Preserve Cookies

RED CURRANT POUND CAKE
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 eggs, yolks an white separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pint red currants 

For the glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously oil 3 small bread tins, set aside.  Take currants and remove any stems, using hands, gently mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar, set aside.  In a mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy.  Add 1 cup of sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat to combine.  Using clean beaters, whip egg whites until stiff.  Fold into batter.  Add currants, taking care not to break them.  Pour into tins.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.  Let set on a rack in tin until completely cooled.  

To Glaze*: Mix sugar and milk in a small bowl. If you prefer a more liquid glaze add more milk, or less, add less milk.  Drizzle over pound cake. Enjoy!