The orange cake is a soft and fragrant dessert, also perfect for breakfast or to be enjoyed as a snack along with a cup of tea. Easy to make, it has a melting, moist texture and a delicate citrus aroma, thanks to the addition of grated orange peel and its fresh juice.
It is made with a few simple ingredients, the important thing is to have organic and chemically untreated citrus fruits available. Oranges do not need to be blended and it is recommended that they have a thick and fleshy skin.
We simply garnished it with powdered sugar, but if you like you can also add caramelized orange slices. To make it even softer and more delicious, try glazing it with a sugar-based syrup and filtered orange juice. Follow the step by step procedure and tips for a flawless result.
You can also serve your cake with a soft orange cream, a frosting or an orange glaze for a very special birthday cake.
The orange peel could make your cake taste a little bitter, so leave it out or use less if you don't want to.
Choose a seed oil or, alternatively, a light and fruity extra virgin olive oil, and if you love exotic flavors, you can also use coconut oil, or butter for an even richer taste.
You can enrich the dough with chocolate chips, ideal along with orange, raisins or even a drop of rum, in case the dessert is not intended for children.
You can also flavor the orange cake with cinnamon, vanilla or cardamom powder.
If you want a particularly tall and fluffy cake, use an 18 cm diameter mold, while for a more classic-looking one, 22 cm in diameter will be ok.
The orange cake will be perfect if stored at room temperature, under a glass bell, for a maximum of 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
Carefully wash the orange and grate the zest (1).
Squeeze 2-3 oranges and make 150 ml of juice (2).
Separate the egg whites from the yolks (3).
Work the egg yolks with the sugar (4).
You will need to obtain a light and fluffy mixture (5).
Flavor with the orange zest (6).
Pour the orange juice, mixed with the oil (7).
Add the flour (8).
Add the baking powder and mix perfectly (9).
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks (10).
Incorporate them gently and with movements from the bottom up, to avoid breaking the mixture (11).
Grease a springform pan (12).
Sprinkle it with a little flour, eliminating the excess (13).
Pour the mixture into the mold (14) and level the surface.
Bake in a static oven at 350° F for about 35-40 minutes (15).
After the baking time, take the cake out of the oven and out of the mold and sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar (16).
Cut into slices and serve (17).