Ok so I love collecting recipes… and I mean all sorts of recipes…I might not ever cook most of them…(partly cause half the ingredients are not even available where I stay) but I do have a lot… I would go to the extent of calling myself a ‘Cookbook Hoarder’. I mean from cookbooks, to following blog’s (which how I decided to write my own), to endless shows on food network and TLC, to food magazines, I go wherever the recipes call me (creepy much). Jokes apart I am extremely proud of my collection and I love sharing my passion with the world.
This hoarding quality of mine led me to discover this yummylicious (if that’s even a word) recipe in one of the many food magazines I subscribe to. Now for some reason, us Indian people prefer chocolaty cakes. When in doubt we stick to our safe chocolate cake and dare not venture into uncharted territory. But trust me, the wonderful sweet and citrusy aroma coupled with the zesty kick from the orange and the richness of the almonds is like a match made in heaven.
The lusciously juicy oranges bring a burst of warmth during these cold cold days and when combined with sticky honey in the form of a cake it is just pure heaven. You can serve this up as a dessert at dinner parties with some custard or ice cream, or just cut it up into tiny little squares and serve it up at a tea party, either way its perfect comfort sweet for this weather.
I decided to bake this for one of my closest friends who claimed that and I quote “… you never bake for me, I am beginning to doubt if you actually even know how”. Hence… in order to prove my love for baking to her (… basically just an excuse to try out a new recipe :P), I decided to surprise her at work the other evening with a fresh out of the oven sticky citrus sponge. Needless to say she was surprised… we got in a bit of a gossip session and she now believes that I can bake J So everything turned out great… even the cake :P
Its so simple to make … I am sure you will end up making this more than once or even twice !!!
What you will need:
Utensils:
Two large mixing bowls, a set of measuring spoons, weighing scale, flour sifter, spatula, pastry brush, 23 cm round cake tin, a handheld electric mixer, a set of knives including a serrated knife.
Ingredients:
Oranges, medium 4
Honey 6 Tbsp + extra to serve
Butter 200 gms + extra to grease
Brown sugar, softened 200 gms
Flour 200 gms
Baking soda ¼ Tsp
Baking Powder 1 Tsp
Almonds, ground 100 gms
Eggs 4
How to start:
First things first, start by greasing the cake tin with butter and some oil (… using both butter and oil is just a precautionary measure to ensure that the cake just slides out). Drizzle the base of the tin with the honey.
The leftover orange slices you will chop up finely and add to a large mixing bowl and along with the zest of the orange and all other ingredients.
Using a handheld electric mixer, combine all the ingredients until the batter is smooth. (The batter would not be very runny but rather of spooning consistency). Spoon the batter on top of the honey and oranges in the cake tin and spread out evenly.
Now use the back of the spoon and make a dip in the centre of the cake batter (this ensures that the cake rises evenly).
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let it stand for about 5-7 minutes or until it comes to room temperature. Take a butter knife and slightly take it around edge of the cake and tin, loosening the cake from the tin. Cover the top with an inverted plate and invert the cake out onto the plate, tapping gently on the cake bottom.
Drizzle with some more honey and enjoy!!!
This hoarding quality of mine led me to discover this yummylicious (if that’s even a word) recipe in one of the many food magazines I subscribe to. Now for some reason, us Indian people prefer chocolaty cakes. When in doubt we stick to our safe chocolate cake and dare not venture into uncharted territory. But trust me, the wonderful sweet and citrusy aroma coupled with the zesty kick from the orange and the richness of the almonds is like a match made in heaven.
The lusciously juicy oranges bring a burst of warmth during these cold cold days and when combined with sticky honey in the form of a cake it is just pure heaven. You can serve this up as a dessert at dinner parties with some custard or ice cream, or just cut it up into tiny little squares and serve it up at a tea party, either way its perfect comfort sweet for this weather.
I decided to bake this for one of my closest friends who claimed that and I quote “… you never bake for me, I am beginning to doubt if you actually even know how”. Hence… in order to prove my love for baking to her (… basically just an excuse to try out a new recipe :P), I decided to surprise her at work the other evening with a fresh out of the oven sticky citrus sponge. Needless to say she was surprised… we got in a bit of a gossip session and she now believes that I can bake J So everything turned out great… even the cake :P
Its so simple to make … I am sure you will end up making this more than once or even twice !!!
Cookbook Hoarders Sticky Citrus Sponge Cake
What you will need:
Utensils:
Two large mixing bowls, a set of measuring spoons, weighing scale, flour sifter, spatula, pastry brush, 23 cm round cake tin, a handheld electric mixer, a set of knives including a serrated knife.
Ingredients:
Oranges, medium 4
Honey 6 Tbsp + extra to serve
Butter 200 gms + extra to grease
Brown sugar, softened 200 gms
Flour 200 gms
Baking soda ¼ Tsp
Baking Powder 1 Tsp
Almonds, ground 100 gms
Eggs 4
How to start:
First things first, start by greasing the cake tin with butter and some oil (… using both butter and oil is just a precautionary measure to ensure that the cake just slides out). Drizzle the base of the tin with the honey.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C
Grate the zest of the two oranges and set aside. Using a serrated knife cut the pith from all the oranges and cut into thick slices. Arrange the best slices, over the honey in the base of the cake tin, making sure that the base is mostly covered (…This turned out to be the trickiest part for me coz the orange just refused to slice into proper shaped circles… anyhow don’t fret about getting the perfect shape, it works equally good if you have half circles instead of full)
Grate the zest of the two oranges and set aside. Using a serrated knife cut the pith from all the oranges and cut into thick slices. Arrange the best slices, over the honey in the base of the cake tin, making sure that the base is mostly covered (…This turned out to be the trickiest part for me coz the orange just refused to slice into proper shaped circles… anyhow don’t fret about getting the perfect shape, it works equally good if you have half circles instead of full)
The leftover orange slices you will chop up finely and add to a large mixing bowl and along with the zest of the orange and all other ingredients.
Using a handheld electric mixer, combine all the ingredients until the batter is smooth. (The batter would not be very runny but rather of spooning consistency). Spoon the batter on top of the honey and oranges in the cake tin and spread out evenly.
Now use the back of the spoon and make a dip in the centre of the cake batter (this ensures that the cake rises evenly).
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let it stand for about 5-7 minutes or until it comes to room temperature. Take a butter knife and slightly take it around edge of the cake and tin, loosening the cake from the tin. Cover the top with an inverted plate and invert the cake out onto the plate, tapping gently on the cake bottom.
Drizzle with some more honey and enjoy!!!
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