Cuban Coffee Pound Cake with Fresh Mango and Lemon Ice Cream

Pound Cake:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brewed Cuban coffee or espresso
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup simple syrup, made by boiling equal parts water and sugar until syrupy
• 1/4 cup blood orange juice
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1 quart premium lemon ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Grease and flour a 6 1/2 x 4-inch loaf pan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, then scrape the seeds into the coffee; throw in the pod, too. Simmer together for about a minute. Let cool, remove the pod, and set the liquid aside.

Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the egg-butter mixture, being careful not to overbeat. Add the flavored coffee, and mix until just combined. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan until just slightly warm. Run a knife around the sides and turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

Bring the simple syrup and the blood orange juice to a boil in a saucepan. Add the mango and simmer the mixture until all of the liquid has evaporated. Watch carefully to make sure the mango does not burn. When the syrup has evaporated, remove the pan from the heat and let the mango cool.

Serve the cake with the fruit and the lemon ice cream.