It’s orange season here in California! And this is one of my new favorite ways to use our orange bounty. I don’t have an orange tree, but my sister does, and when son Connor came home from her house with a bag full of these beauties, we started looking for ways to use them.
I recalled seeing a recipe from Claudia Roden that I had wanted to try, but I was a little intimidated by the instructions that called for boiling and pureeing two whole oranges to mix in to the batter. Not that this seemed difficult, but it was different than any cake I had ever made. And there was no indication of whether these should be small oranges or large oranges… and I imagined it would make quite a difference to the end result. Anyway, Lorraine Walker from Eatwell Farms solved this problem and made the recipe much more approachable. So I must credit Lorraine for revising the original recipe so that I felt confident trying it. And I’m SO glad I did! It really is easy, and delicious, and gluten-free (for those who care about such things)!
I’m actually not a huge fan of most orange flavored cakes and other baked goods, but there’s something so fresh and lively in the flavor of this cake that really appeals to me. All that zest that gets boiled down must be the reason for its unique and not overly sweet flavor. But beyond the flavor, I’m particularly pleased with the moist, yet light texture.
Now I’ve revised this recipe again just slightly more… a little less sugar, shorter baking time, addition of a bit of vanilla. I also added a lovely glaze to dress it up a bit, but the cake itself is actually plenty sweet and is delicious without any glaze or other topping.
[tasty-recipe id=”587″]
[tasty-recipe id=”591″]
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