Make a citrus seasoning mixture:
Grate the zest of the etrogs with a rasp or citrus zester, being careful to get all the zest off of the citrus without cutting into the pith below the skin.
Whisk together the lemon juice and lime juice in a small bowl; whisk in the etrog zest. Reserve 1 tablespoon of this mixture to use later for the glaze.
Mix the batter:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 4-by-8-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper or rub the pan with butter and dust it with flour, shaking out the excess.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter with the 1Πcups of the sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth and scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat in the unreserved portion of the citrus mixture.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating just to combine; add œ cup orange juice, followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture, another œ cup orange juice, and finally the last of the flour, mixing only until just combined after each addition.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
Meanwhile, stir together the remaining œ cup sugar, remaining Œ cup orange juice and the reserved 1 tablespoon of the citrus mixture in a small saucepan.
Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Grand Marnier. Let the glaze cool.
To serve, slice the cake and place on dessert plates; drizzle the glaze decoratively over each portion we like to use a ladle to do this. Garnish each plate with a few orange segments if you wish.
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed etrog juice or lemon juice
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
1¼ cups freshly squeezed orange juice (3 to 4 oranges), divided
3 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
Orange and blood orange segments, for garnish
This article appears in September 2013.