Friday, August 18, 2006

A Tale of Two Cakes: Part II

Blood Orange and Polenta Cake Orange Almond Cake

Okay, so maybe the last cake I made was a bit of a misguided venture, nonetheless disaster was averted and I was able to turn the recipe from what seemed like a faux pas, into an inadvertent smash hit. You might say it was the Britney Spears of cakes; you know right from the start it’s wrong but yet people are strangely drawn to it and buy it’s albums. Anyway, I was just glad the cake was edible, and I didn’t have untouched pieces of cake taunting and staring me in the face spelling out d-e-f-e-a-t.

Surely this recent episode of unintentional dyslexia should serve as a lesson to read a recipe thoroughly before commissioning yourself to bake the cake. This time around all things went as planned, I read the ingredients list in its entirety and made the mental checklist whether we had all the required ingredients on hand. I also made sure I didn't mistake any ingredients for something else, like I had before.

I made an Orange and Almond Cake out of the remaining few oranges from my dwindling stash of
Rosey Reds. I was quite hesitant to use these last two Rosey Reds, as though they were the last two remaining in the entire planet, however my appetite for a moist, dense cake was too fervent to ignore. After the recent episode of dry gritty cake, I needed to redeem myself with this cake.

The result- citrus indulgence. T
he cake was without doubt moist and dense, and the addition of syrup not only intensifies its moistness, but also permeates the cake with a delicious tang that is somehow lost in the cake after baking. I found myself simply relinquishing all better judgement and etiquette and simply began slicing pieces off the cake and picking them up with my hands and shovelling it straight in my mouth. I wavered between gluttonous shame and blissful gratification; and although my mother would be ashamed of my table manners, or rather inherent lack thereof, I cannot and will not apologise for the effects great cake has on a person. With a dollop of thick cream this cake is heaven in a slice.

Almond and Orange Cake
(Serves 6)
from
this publication, Issue 28

Orange Almond Cake

¾ cup caster sugar
170g unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
3 eggs
1½ tbsp orange juice
¾ cup plain all-purpose flour, sifted
¾ tsp baking powder
2/3 cup almond meal
thick double cream to serve

Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Place the sugar, butter and orange rind in a bowl and beat until light and creamy.
Gradually add the eggs and orange juice, beating well.
Fold through the flour, baking powder and almond meal, until incorporated.
Pour the batter into prepared baking tin and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Cool in the tin for 5 minutes and turn out on a wire rack to cool.
Serve with Orange syrup and cream.

Orange Syrup

2 cups caster sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup orange juice

Place the sugar, water and orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Bring to the boil and cook for 30 minutes or until the mixture is thick and syrupy.
Pour over cake before serving.

Orange Almond Cake

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed this two parts story.
Heaven in a slice - sounds good to me.
Hooray!

wheresmymind said...

Aww...c'mon...ya'll love Britney Spears..admit it ;)

Anonymous said...

Orange, lemon, moist, syrup, can it get better than that?

Alpineberry Mary said...

I wish a subscription to DH magazine was less expensive here in the US. Sigh. Your cake looks just as good the cake in part 1.

Joycelyn said...

hi jen, i am totally enamoured with any orange and almond cake so you can imagine how excited i am to discover your scrumptious rendition ;)thanks so much for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I made your cake last night, for a friends birthday dinner and it was delicious, in fact two friends commented it was the best cake they'd had in ages. I made it with a combination of orange, lemon and lime, which worked a treat - tangy and soft in the middle and then all caramelised and citrus-y around the edges. I was going to post about it, but won't have time in the next couple of days, so thought I'd let you know.

Jen said...

Tanna- come on over and have a try for yourself! I'll put the kettle on now.

wheresmymind- I think that's one guilty pleasure many people will be happy to stay in the closet about.

bea- it's hard to top this cake, although Im sure you would be able to come up with a worthy contender. You are so talented.

Mary- thanks so much for your kind words. I never realised DH Mag was so expensive up there.

j- I cannot agree more, I am totally in love with citrus cakes. There's just something about them.

Kathryn- im so glad the recipe worked out really well for you and your friends! It truly is a delicious cake and you just cannot go wrong with the orange and almond combination.

Erielle said...

Do you think you will ever make Cake Part I again now that you have tasted the glorious Part II?
I am in complete agreeement with Mary about the cost of the Donna Hay magazine in the US. But my current cooking magazine subscription is almost expired, maybe I should treat myself...

Anonymous said...

I made this cake again over the weekend. It's the third time I've tried it and yet again it was an outstanding success. Calls of "best cake ever" and people fighting over the last piece. If I'd had more butter in the house I would have been frogmarched into making a second one.

Thanks again for your glorious, glorious recipe Jen.