Currant-Orange Pound Cake

If spongecake is all egg and air, pound cake is a showcase for butter. I’ll take a plain, buttery pound cake or cookie over a cream-filled or thickly frosted cake any day.

Pound cake is named for the proportion of its ingredients, classically a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The classic result is a dense cake, firm with butter and eggs, with a close, tight crumb (but not a soggy interior). While heavier than other cakes, a well-made pound cake has a delicacy all its ow