Orange Cake

This cake using sunflower oil and  yoghurt has a really good texture and reminds me of English Madeira cake, which was invented in the mid 19th Century taking its name from the Portuguese Madeira wine with which this cake was often served.

It started out in my hunt to make a cake using lemon balm – (melisa in Polish) which grows abundantly in my garden. Sadly none of the cakes I made captured its taste at all!

However I  adapted this recipe to make an orange cake and the result is delicious.

Short History of Oranges

Oranges originated in Ancient China and sweet oranges are recorded in Chinese literature in very early times.

They are thought to have been brought by Italian and Portuguese traders to the Mediterranean area in the 15th century.

The name is of  Middle Eastern origin:

• Arabic – nāranj
• Persian – narang
• French – l’orange
• Italian – arancia
• Portuguese –  laranja
• Spanish – naranja
• Polish – pomarańcz
• Whilst in Dutch it is – sinaasappel – meaning  Chinese apple.

Oranges in Poland were very expensive before World War 2 and my mother would tell me that at St Nicholas and Christmas time an orange or a tangerine would be a common gift.

Christopher Columbus took oranges to the Caribbean on his second voyage in 1493.

Later,  Spanish settlers introduced orange plants to North America,  first to Florida and then to California.

Figures from 2017 show Brazil as being the largest orange producer in the world with the United States of America coming second and  Florida produces 70% of that country’s oranges.

Ingredients

• 85- 90ml of Greek yoghurt (full fat is best)
• 2 large oranges – finely grated rind & juice (not all will be needed)
• 125ml of orange juice
• 180g of caster sugar
• 320g of plain flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 170ml of sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to GM 5 – 190°C.
• Finely grate the rind of the oranges.
• Squeeze the juice from the oranges (you will not need all of it).
• Mix the yoghurt with 125ml of the  orange juice.
• Prepare a 23cm loose bottom or spring  form tin with a cake liner.
• In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, oil and orange rind.
• Add the eggs and whisk again.
• Lightly mix in the flour.
• Mix in the lemon juice.
• Mix in the yoghurt and orange juice mixture to give a thick batter.
• Pour into the cake tin.
• Bake for 30 – 35 minutes (check after 25 minutes and cover the top lightly if necessary).

Served on Duchess – Bramble Rose – tea-plates from the 1960s.