Sunday, March 04, 2007

Eggless orange cake

This intensely orange cake is the first recipe that I tried from the eggless baking book by Cintia Stammers, published by the Bhaktivedanta Trust. The cake served two purposes - one, it was Pete's birthday cake, and two, it was a cake that my mother could eat, as she's a very strict vegetarian (unlike me - not so strict in that I'm happy to eat eggs and, much more rarely, the odd KFC takeout).

The recipe was simple and easy - TOO simple, I thought, so I tweaked a bit here and added a bit there to adapt it to something I felt was a little more festive. Mind you, I probably violated a couple of the Hare Krsna precepts with a addition of a little alcohol to the orange-sultana filling... but as long as nobody tells on me to Cintia Stammers, I should be safe enough. Perhaps, though, I should make it very clear that the Bhaktivedanta Trust did NOT recommend the addition of any alcohol whatsoever. It was entirely and only my doing.

Actually, if I'm to be honest, it was Pete's doing. (He did it, he did it! It was HIS fault! I'm innocent. Innocent, I tell you!)

The verdict on the cake was unanimous - Pete loved it, although he felt it was more a dessert cake than a snacky one because the filling tasted so rich and was so moist. He said it was spectacular with a cup of coffee - especially as he drinks his coffee without sugar.

My mother was happy with the cake, and so was I. Although I could manage only a small piece, every bite was loaded with deep flavours. A very auspicious start to my eggless baking attempts!

Recipe for:
Orange cake




Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp soda bicarb
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup yogurt
3/4 cup orange juice (I used fresh squeezed)
1 tsp orange zest

Orange-sultana filling:

1-1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup golden sultanas
2 tbsp orange juice (I used fresh squeezed)
2 tbsp apricot brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract
two pinches orange food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Lightly grease an 8" round baking pan.

2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, soda bicarb and baking powder.

3. In another bowl, cream together the oil, sugar and yogurt.



4. Add the juice, orange zest and flour; mix well and pour into the prepared pan.



5. Bake for about 35 minutes or till the cake tests done.



Let it remain in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

6. When the cake is completely cool, split it in half horizontally (cant imagine why I had to specify that, but I have for some reason!)



7. To make the filling, put the sultanas, orange juice and apricot brandy in a small microwaveable bowl.



Cover with clingfilm, poke a hole in the top and microwave it for 2-1/2 minutes. Let cool, then puree the sultanas - whether smooth or coarsely(like I did) is entirely up to you.

8. Pour the pureed sultanas into a mixing bowl.



Add the orange food colouring (if using), the vanilla extract and orange zest and mix well.



9. Add the sifted icing sugar carefully and beat till the mixture is fairly thick. Add more icing sugar if required, to make it spreadable.

10. Spread the filling on one half of the cooled split cake



and top with the other half. Sift icing sugar thickly over the top. (I used vanila sugar that I blitzed in the grinder to make vanilla icing sugar).



Serve with a cup of strong coffee.

34 comments:

Amritha Pavithran said...

Hey there,
My name is Amritha and i visit your blog daily to c your recipes..U have gr8 blog..well i learn cooking from blogs like yours..That was an amzing recipe..I am going to try it out today..Cant wait to have it..!
Thankx a ton,
Amritha

Anonymous said...

OMG, Shammi that looks delicious. Reminds me of orange-honey cake in Indian bakeries. That had some grated coconut in filling. I have searched a whole lot for eggless cakes that are non-chocolate and for others like me this blog will be a treasure...

Anonymous said...

Shammi,

The cake looks absolutely delcious.

Do you think I can substitute anything else for "Apricot Brandy", Havent heard of it thats y...
Thanks
Aruna.

Anonymous said...

Amritha: How did it turn out?

Mika: thanks :)

Aruna: Oh, the apricot brandy was just an afterthought - it's not essential :) But I think you can use Cointreau as a substitute.

Anonymous said...

hey, happy birthday to pete!! this cake looks yummy -- if it's HALF as good as your chocolate one, i'll land up in shrewsbury as an illegal immigrant :-)

Anonymous said...

Hey
I tried it ..:) It was amazingly good ! So soft yet not crumbly !! The cake held itself so well !I am so impressed !!! I am more than excited to try variations with it ...like make an apple cake !! Its great work ..PLZ publish a few more eggless cakes!
Thank you soooooo much for sharing it!

Lav

Nee said...

Shammi, awesome recipe! MIL will be visiting soon, so I am on the lookout for eggless cakes... can't wait to try this out.

bee said...

pete is a very lucky man.

bee said...

shammi, you may find this useful.

http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking

Castor aka Kiwilax said...

Sounds bootiful, I am going to put Dana onto your food blog, she'll go bonkers - she's so heavily into baking etc nowadays.
Gee, did I really give you the cook book - how embarassing I asked - and I honestly didn't remember *blush* sorry!!
You've really got me thinking abt a food blog da..just find me the time..or maybe I shd just send you the receipes and you can post them on ur blog...

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi, I'm not much of a baker but I could easily get inspired looking at this! Wow!!! Happy belated b'day to Pete and thanks for sharing :)

Anonymous said...

Brin: Promises, promises... and yes, it is at least as good as my chocolate cake :)

Lav: I'm SO glad it turned out well! :)

Nee: Let me know (or at least mention it on your blog so I'll know) when you do try it. :)

Bee: Thank you :) And thank you again!

Kiwilax: Dana who? Hey, DO send me your recipes, I'll make a separate category for them! I know you dont have the time to do your own food blog, at least this way your recipes will get known (especially to me). You've always been a better cook than me!

Linda: Thanks :) Do try it - it's really nice. Especially cold, after it's been in the refrigerator (discovered it yesterday) :)

Terri the terrific said...

I made this last night. It came out beautifully! I skipped the filling and baked it as a quick bread. Even the amount of oil didn't seem excessive. The sugar was just right and I love the orange flavor.

It was a little crumbly, though, and I've noticed that with other eggless breads, as well. Could it be the absence of eggs? I followed all your steps, creaming the ingredients instead of just folding them in. I held back and let it cool overnight and sliced it in the morning, but it's still crumbly.

Anyway, it's an excellent way to use that carton of OJ lying in the back of the refrigerator. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Terri: Actually I thought the cake held together extremely well for being eggless. I cut it in half as soon as it was cool and was quite surprised that I didnt get many crumbs.

Perhaps it was the difference in flour that made the texture different. Dont know that for sure but I AM glad you liked the cake... it's such a pleasure to know that others can successfully duplicate a recipe I've tried! :)

Terri the terrific said...

OK, I think I know why. I substituted with 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour to create the illusion that the bread was actually good for me.

Perhaps that's why I'm trying eggless combinations these days - I fool myself into thinking that eggless equals lowfat.

Shammi said...

Terri: a-HA! I was right! It WAS the flour!

(maybe)

:)

Castor aka Kiwilax said...

Ooh, dunno anymore abt being the better cook da - you sound pretty good to me and a lot more interested in cooking than I am, for sure.
Dana's Nandana, of course. Ok, will send you some receipes. maybe my infamous iyengar puliyorai or indi-cannelloni or soemthing like that. Just don't ask me when...;-)

Vijayalaxmi Hegde said...

Err... you wouldnt have recipes for pressure-cooker made cakes, would you? Am yet to acquire an oven, oyu see :)

Terri the terrific said...

Shammi,

I just had to share:
The master of this house, a man of very, very, very few words, whose opinions range from “Hmmm …” to “It’s OK,” at the most, asked for this cake last night. “I like the crust,” he said.

Hmmm … could I have finally found the way to his heart?

Nee said...

Hey Shammi,

I tried this yesterday - it was just yummy! The Boy loved it too.
I sodhappufied a little when I split it in two (the top split into pieces of its own, ahem), so the it looked like a jigsaw puzzle topped with icing sugar, but hey, what matters is the taste! I will definitely make this again.

Nee

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Thank you for the recipe. I baked this cake yesterday for a birthday, since quite few guests were vegetarian. I doubled the recipe. I made 2 8 inch round cakes. Split each cake, and used whipped cream and strawberries for the filling. It was wonderful. Definitely a keeper. The best part is that it is eggless ,with simple ingredients. Thank you once again!.

Sarita

Anonymous said...

Hi, first time on this website, & I like that you guys have pictures to go along with cooking (makes it easy). One question. What do you mean by "plain flour"?
Do you mean wheat flour/ or "all purpose flour"?(im a beginer to cooking) & this cake looks good, so please help.
Thanks

Moi. said...

Hi Shammi,

I tried out your amazing orange eggless cake with tiny little moderations of my own...added sour cream instead of yoghurt home make or store bought, and no filing....made it as a quick cake. i loved the aromatic flavours of the orange zest. I crumbled a few orange marie and also some halved cashew for some texture. Added a picnch of orange food colour, so the cake came out crusty on top a a lovely orange pink on the inside.
For an eggless cake it held out very well. Spongy and well aereated, it was an amazing treat for a cold rainy day!!!
THANKS A TON!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi

I made the cake y'day and it was yummy.. Only issue I had was its a bit moist. I am thinking of baking it longer and less yogurt next time. Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi, im glad i came across your blog. i baked an orange cake based on your recipe and it turned out very well. very moist, tasty, and smells great! thumbs up!

Anonymous said...

hi shyamala,
thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe.your recipe was my first baking adventure!!!!!!
i'm pleased to tell you that it was devoured and not a crumb was left.
keep up your good work!!!!!
i would like to try more recipes.will let you know the outcome :D

Anonymous said...

Hi..just tried out this cake today...its utterly scrumptious...left out the filling, but this is so good even without it...today is the second day of Chinese New Year in Singapore and what better way to celebrate...than with this lovely orange cake...(had lots of oranges at home..mandarin oranges are exchanged as gifts on Chinese New Year). Thanks a lot...this one is certainly a keeper!

Anonymous said...

Did you use one 9 inch round pan?

Anonymous said...

Please disregard my comment about the pan. You have mentioned it as a first point itself!!! :(
Sorry

MaySan said...

Hi Shyamala

I tried this cake, and the cake is crumbling? Any idea why? I used vegetable oil instead of sunflower, does that make some difference? Also, the center was sunk in, instead of rising up :( Help me out plssssss...otherwise the taste is simply awesome! I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time, and when I did, it crumbled!!

Lots of your recipes are simply awesome!!

MaySan said...

Hi Shyamla,

I used vegetable oil instead of sunflower, do u think that might make a difference and make the cake crumble? Otherwise I followed ur instructions to the T. The cake seemed done at 30 mins itself, but I let it stay for 4-5 mins more and then removed it from the oven. Cooled it for 10-15 mins and then tried to cut it up, started to crumble, so left it for few more mins, still crumbles :(

The cake tastes so awesome!! Except for the crumbling part its so good.

I have tried even ur pulikachal and that is awesome!!

ranjani.sathish said...

Hi Shyamala
I tried this orange cake for the first time today, using your recipe and it turned out awesome ! Can't believe that it was so simple to make. Thank you for posting the recipe here.

The Phoenix said...

Hello there...tried this one!! Absolutely yummy..I did change it a li'l though..Added equal parts of wheat flour and all purpose..and used more of yogurt and juice- no oil..didn't use icing..but it was definitely yummy with the whole orangey taste!! Loved it and hated leaving the house after baking it..smelled great too! :)

Suja said...

Hi Shammi,

I tried this recipe and it turned out fabulous! I layered a mixture of mixed fruits and orange peel between the batter and baked it instead of slicing the cake after it was baked to fill it and it turned out really nice :)
Thanks for sharing!