Queque Seco (Dry Cake)

Description
Queque seco literally means "dry cake" and it represents a typical dessert from Costa Rican cuisine.

Queque seco is considered to be a kind of pound cake, it being traditionally made with a pound of each of the following ingredients: flour, margarine, eggs, and sugar. This dish also includes such ingredients as baking powder, salt, rum and raisins. Other important additions are vanilla essence and lemon or orange juice that are used to increase the flavor of the dish.

When ready, the cake is sprinkled with confectionery sugar and can be complemented with slices of fresh tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, pineapple or bananas.

Ingredients

 * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (or diary free margarine)
 * 1 cup granulated sugar
 * 6 large eggs, separated
 * 2½ cups all-purpose flour
 * 4 tsp baking powder
 * ¼ tsp salt
 * ¾ cup fresh orange juice
 * 1 cup chocolate chips
 * 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

 * 1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
 * 2) Generously grease and dust with flour 10-inch nonstick bundt pan, and set aside.
 * 3) Place butter in large mixing bowl, and beat until creamy.
 * 4) Slowly beat in sugar a little at a time.
 * 5) Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and until mixture is creamy.
 * 6) Add flour, baking powder and salt alternately with vanilla, and orange juice.
 * 7) Fold chocolate chips into batter.
 * 8) Beat egg whites until stiff in separate bowl.
 * 9) Fold into batter, and, when smooth, scoop into bundt pan.
 * 10) Bake about 1 hour, or until top of cake is lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
 * 11) Remove from oven, cool on rack for 5 minutes and invert cake onto rack to cool thoroughly.
 * 12) To serve, place cake on serving dish, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and complement cake, if desired, with sliced tropical fruits such as sliced mangos, bananas, pineapple and papayas.