I'm helping test out a couple of recipes for my lovely friend, R, who is helping organize a bake shop at a school fair (or this is my understanding of what's happening). This is giving me an opportunity to throw together some classics, starting with this orange cake.
Aside from sustaining a small cut from my cherished microplane, this recipe is foolproof. It made my house smell so good I made two batches back to back. Also, note: the "cake" is a tad sweeter than what I consider the threshold to be appropriate breakfast food. But I may have eaten it for breakfast anyway. Oh well. Tough life.
Here goes -
125 grams Butter
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 orange, and another half to finish off the top
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Self-raising Flour
1/4 cup fresh Orange juice
1/4 cup Milk
For the Icing:
28 grams Butter (or 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar (I mentioned this wasn't the healthiest cake, right?)
2 tablespoons Orange Juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated Orange rind
Grease a loaf tin. Cream the butter, sugar, orange rind until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each has been mixed well. Fold through the flour, then the OJ and the milk. Pour into tin and bake at 180 C for 40 minutes, or until the skewer comes out clean. (Which, incidentally, is the only reason why I own skewers). Turn it out onto the cooling rack. Be patient and let the cake cool completely.
While cake is baking, cream the butter and sugar, then add the OJ and zest to make the icing.
When cake is cooled, slather icing generously on top, and finish with a good grating of orange rind.