Ina Garten smiling while posing with her cookbook.

Ina Garten’s Pound Cake Is Keeping A Boozy Secret

NEWS

By HILARY WHEELAN REMLEY

Ina Garten smiling.
The new pound cake recipe from Ina Garten’s book, “Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” features a blend of three simple ingredients that truly make her cake stand out.
A pound cake on a cake stand.
To enhance the flavors of her buttery, vanilla pound cake, Garten incorporates lemon zest and brandy (or cognac) into her vanilla extract — reminiscent of a sidecar cocktail.
A person zesting lemons.
Lemon zest adds a punch of bright flavor to your pound cake, complementing the floral aspect of vanilla and cutting through the fat-rich base of your cake without overwhelming it.
Two glasses of brandy on a wooden table.
Since it’s derived from fermented fruit juice, the addition of brandy — or one of its variations, such as cognac — will integrate a vibrant taste, enhancing the flavor of vanilla.