Christmas is over, but that's no reason to end your sweet treat fest! Refresh your palate with this light and zesty orange cake, upgraded with a touch of rum and a variety of spices to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside on these chilly winter evenings.
Since this recipe uses the creaming method, it is important to ensure that the butter is kept outside for at least an hour so that it softens and can be creamed with the sugar easily. All the ingredients should be at room temperature so that they combine well together. Check out the tips from my Upside-down Pineapple Cake recipe to further perfect your pound cake!
The glaze icing is optional, although I find that it adds to the orange flavour.
Ingredients for the cake:
170g castor sugar
170g unsalted butter
Finely grated zest of 3 large oranges
170g all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 cloves, ground into a fine powder
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup milk
20ml rum (optional)
Ingredients for the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
½ tbsp milk
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tsp rum (optional)
Method to prepare the cake:
Preheat your oven to 200C.
Grease and line one 9” bundt pan or two 7” round pans. If you want to make this cake as a loaf (as displayed in the picture), half the recipe and use a 10” by 4” rectangular tin.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and orange zest together well until the mixture is light, fluffy and looks slightly pale. This will take around 10-15 minutes when using an electric whisk.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition to make sure they are well incorporated. If the mixture curdles, add a little flour from the previously measured 170g and whisk well. Do not add flour that is not from this amount as this will make your cake dense.
Sift the baking powder, flour, and ground spices into the bowl and fold them using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix at this stage as your cake will turn out dense.
Finally, add the milk and fold it through the batter.
Troubleshooting: If your batter curdles after adding the milk, add an extra tablespoon of flour and fold it through the batter until the latter stabilizes. The flour helps absorb the extra moisture in the batter, thereby making it smooth. Do not add more than 5 tablespoons of flour or else your cake will become extremely dense. Curdling generally occurs when the milk is cold, which separates the fat in the batter. Therefore, always use room temperature ingredients.
Pour the batter into the prepared tins and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer that is inserted into it comes out clean.
Once your cake comes out of the oven, while it is still warm, brush the top of the cake with 20ml of rum and then let it cool in the tin before removing it onto a wire rack.
Method for the glaze icing:
Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Do not skip this step as it is very important to sift the icing sugar for a smooth glaze.
Add the milk and lemon juice and whisk until they are well combined and the mixture reaches a pourable consistency.
If your icing is too thick, you can add more orange juice, one teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Once your cake has fully cooled, transfer it onto a wire rack and pour the icing over it and let it harden.
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