A Recipe for Spicy Citrus Pound Cake
From James Park's "Chili Crisp"
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Happy Wednesday, all! Last week I sent out a Q&A with food writer and content creator James Park (@jamesyworld) on his new book, “Chili Crisp,” a 176-page love letter addressed to its namesake. Chili crisp’s amassed a cult-like following over the past few years—earning this spicy, garlicky, and crunchy condiment a reputation for just making everything better. So much has already been said about all the foods you can elevate with a spoonful of chili crisp, but the condiment itself has grown to be as diverse and versatile as the ways in which it’s used. Nowadays, there’s a variety of chili crisps with distinct ingredients and flavors that make each iteration as unique as their respective creator, which allow a variety of personal stories to be told. For James, developing his own chili crisp with Korean flavors was a way for him to navigate his identity and connect with his roots.
In our Q&A from last week, James talked about a Very Nutty Chili Crisp he developed specifically for desserts that employs chili flakes, salt, sugar, oil, and a variety of chopped nuts to create the same kind of spice and crunch we know and love. You’ll see it implemented in today’s recipe: James’ Spicy Citrus Pound Cake from the desserts section of his book. He writes that this cake is a testament to how well citrus and heat go hand-in-hand, adding that the secret to this recipe is a citrus syrup coat that’s poured over the cake shortly after it comes out of the oven. This creates a “layer” that separates the cake from the glaze that’s eventually drizzled over the top right before serving.
Have a great rest of the week, everybody!
Spicy Citrus Pound Cake
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons Very Nutty Chili Crisp (recipe below)
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Citrus Syrup Coat
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Glaze
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest
1½ teaspoons Very Nutty Chili Crisp
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper so that the paper hangs off the two long sides to make it easier to remove the cake after it’s baked.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a medium bowl, add the sour cream, eggs, vegetable oil, chili crisp, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Whisk until everything is thoroughly mixed and the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check every 5 minutes after an hour in the oven.
While the cake is baking, make the citrus syrup coat: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the granulated sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, and orange juice and let cook for a few minutes, or until the sugar is fully dissolved and starts to thicken like a syrup. When the cake is done baking, let it cool slightly for 5 minutes, then pour the syrup over the cake in the pan. Let the cake cool completely before glazing, 20 to 25 minutes.
To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, orange zest, and chili crisp and mix thoroughly.
Once the cake is completely cooled, dust the top with extra confectioner’s sugar to coat, then drizzle with the thin glaze back and forth all over the cake. The cake can be tightly wrapped and kept at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Makes 2 ½ cups
5 tablespoons gochugaru
5 tablespoons Sichuan chili flakes
2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper flakes
1 tablespoons light brown sugar
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (see Notes)
1½ cups neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola
In a heatproof medium bowl, combine the gochugaru, Sichuan chili flakes, Aleppo pepper flakes, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
In a dry small saucepan over medium heat, toast the chopped nuts for 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned but not completely dark. Add the toasted nuts to the bowl with the spices.
In the same small saucepan over high heat, add the oil and heat for 3 minutes, or until lightly smoking.
Carefully drizzle the hot oil into the bowl of nuts and spices. Let the hot oil sizzle for the flavors to bloom. If it doesn’t sizzle, heat the oil in 30-second intervals. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then mix everything together. Let the mixture come to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. It can be stored in the fridge for about 3 months. You can store it at room temperature, but for longer storage, keep it in the refrigerator.
Some notes from James: “The best way to coarsely chop nuts is to pulse them in a food processor. Be careful not to turn them into a paste. Nuts should be coarse to provide a nutty texture to the chili crisp.
When it comes to the types of nuts for this chili crisp, you can use any type of nuts you want, such as peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, and even pecans. The possibilities are endless! Use either one type of nut or a mixture of different nuts. If you are allergic to any types of nuts, replace them with any types of seeds, like pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds.”
Recipe excerpted from “Chili Crisp: 50+ Recipes to Satisfy Your Spicy, Crunchy, Garlicky Cravings” by James Park. Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.