Orange you a delight

This is a simple cake that relies on a few key flavors- freshly squeezed orange juice, robust olive oil, and a touch of slightly nutty almond extract. Light, balanced, and not overly sweet, this cake is perfect for tea time or with some black coffee in the morning.

I’m not sure why, but the flavor is slightly reminiscent of the store bought S cookies my grandmother used to buy when I was young, so it unlocked some core memories for me. I hope you give it a try.

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INGREDIENTS:

Cake

• 200 g ( 1 C ) granulated sugar

• 1/3 C olive oil, extra virgin (use one you like the flavor of)

• 1/2 C orange juice (freshly squeezed- I use a combo of blood and cara cara oranges, about 4-6 small to medium size oranges)

• 1 T orange zest ( about 1 large or 2 small oranges)

• 2 T plant-based yogurt (room temp, unsweetened plain )

• 1/4 C plant milk (room temp)

• 1 T white vinegar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (pure)

• 1/2 tsp. almond extract (pure)

• 240 g ( 2 C ) all-purpose flour

• 1 T cornstarch

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt (I use Diamond, half the amount if using Morton)

• 33 g (1/4 C ) powder/icing sugar- for topping cake

• 42 g ( 3 T ) unsalted plant butter- room temp ( for pan- use a spray or oil and flour if you don’t have butter)

You will need:

• 9” Cake pan

• Hand or stand mixer

• Scale/measuring cups + spoons

• 1 large and 1 medium size bowls (if not using a stand mixer)

• Cooling rack

• Whisk or spatula

• Sifter

Products used:

• Flora Unsalted Butter- Miyoko’s is another go to fave

• Forager Project Cashewmilk Yogurt- what ever you use, it’s best if unsweetened and plain

• King Arthur All Purpose Flour- you don’t have to use KA, but try to stay away from the bleached lot

• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt- the chef’s salt…it’s less salty than table salt or Morton

Prep:

• Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the cake pan- set aside

• Bring milk, butter, and yogurt to room temp

• Add vinegar to milk (let set about 5 minutes)

• Zest and juice oranges

• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch into a small bowl. Stir in salt.

• Smear butter on cake pan sides and bottom, place parchment round on the bottom of the pan and smooth to secure

Helpful Notes:

Orange juice- I use blood and Cara Cara oranges in this cake because I like the flavor, but if navel is all you can get your hands on, then go for it. You will actually have a brighter looking cake if you use just navel or Cara Cara as opposed to blood oranges- blood oranges produce a beautiful pink color juice that can actually turn your baked goods a little brownish in color ( like raspberries and strawberries). If that bothers you, skip the blood orange.

Butter- You know your butter is room temp when you can easily make an indent with your finger (eww, I know) or a spoon into the butter. It should be soft and pliable, but not runny and melty. If you forget to take the butter out to come to room temp, you can use the microwave, but it can be a bit tricky and go melty fast on you (especially vegan butter because it’s made of more water). Best to leave it out to soften naturally, but in a pinch, do short 10 second bursts in the microwave and flip the butter often so it does’t start to melt on one side. As for the type of butter, if you don’t have unsalted vegan butter, it’s not critical for this recipe.

Milk- Use whichever plant milk you prefer. I like a creamy, plain and unsweetened oat, but a lot of people prefer soy- it all works. In a baking recipe, unless otherwise stated, you want all of your ingredients to be room temp- especially the milk. Room temperature sounds very broad, I mean, rooms can be lots of different temperatures… So what does that mean? Technically between 68 and 72 degrees farenheit, but practically, it means you can stick your finger in it and feel nothing. Think of it this way, if it’s too warm you’ll think to yourself “yep, that’s warm” and if it’s too cold, you’ll think, “ooh, that’s cold”. When it’s room temp, it’s nothing…I know it sounds weird, but here we are… To get your milk to room temp quickly, you can pour it a bowl or glass measuring cup and pop it in the microwave for 20-35 seconds (depending on the amount and the microwave).

Salt- Diamond Crystal Kosher is my preference, but if you use Morton or table salt, reduce the amount by half as Diamond is less salty than the two.

Sugar- To make sure it’s vegan, use organic as it does not use bone char (yes, it’s as bad as it sounds) in the processing like conventional sugar.

Vinegar- White is noted in this recipe, but apple cider works too. We use vinegar to curdle plant milk, which produces a buttermilk-like substance. Vinegar also reacts with raising agents (baking soda + powder) to give vegan baked goods a nice rise.

Oil- I typically use vegan butter in my cake recipes as opposed to oil and when I do use oil, I generally use a neutral oil like grapeseed. However, in this cake, you want the oil to impart some flavor, so we use olive oil which is a heavier, more robust. Oil helps to keep the cakes nice and… moist (sorry, I know).

Mixing method- We are using a basic creaming method here (even though we’re not using butter), because I think it helps with the lift of the cake (olive oil is heavy), but you could easily do this recipe by hand- just make sure to mix the sugar and oil very well to help them combine properly. When creaming with your mixer, you want to start and finish with the dry ingredients to help keep the lightness that you have created with the mixing and lessen the chances of over mixing. To do this, add a little flour (dry ingredients) - mix, then add a little liquid- mix, and continue until you end with the dry ingredients.

Measuring- Listen, just go ahead and get a scale! They’re cheap and the most accurate for baking. I use them to develop my recipes and do the best I can to convert to the cup measurements out of courtesy to those who don’t have one. But trust me, if you like to bake, it will be the best $20 dollars you spend to improve your recipes. If you still refuse, make sure that you use the scoop and level method to measure out your dry ingredients.

cake

Preheat oven to 350° F

Directions:

1. Add orange juice to the room temp milk and vinegar mixture- set aside.

2. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add sugar, olive oil, yogurt, and orange zest- mix on medium speed for 3- 4 minutes (if you have chunky sugar, it should start to dissolve a bit).

3. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix again for 1 minute on medium speed.

4. Add about 1/4 of the sifted dry ingredients (along with salt if not already added) to the bowl and mix on low for about 30 seconds, then add in about 1/4 of the milk and juice mixture and continue to mix on low for another 30 seconds. Repeat.

5. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then continue alternating mixing in the wet and dry ingredients, making sure to finish with the dry (see helpful tips above).

6. Scrape down the bowl again and give one final mix by hand, making sure that all of the ingredients are fully mixed and incorporated.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and tap lightly on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.

8. Place the cake on the middle rack and bake 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven and your pan color ) or until the top springs back when pressed, the sides have begun to pull away from the side of the pan, and a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool for 10- 20 minutes on a cooling rack, then place a cooling rack on top of the cake pan and flip over to release the cake (the should come out easily if you’ve placed parchment at the bottom and properly buttered the sides.

10. Let cool completely, then using a sifter, dust with powdered sugar and top with orange slices (if using).

11. Slice and serve- enjoy!
    

    
    
    

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. If you do, leave us a comment and let us know!

Thanks for stopping by-

xx Debbie, Shorty, + Sophie