Orange Cake

What can be more dreamy than biting into a piece of a slightly tangy lightly flavored orange cake. Its the perfect way to ring in the winter. A little sunshine and the smell of oranges makes up the definition of winter for me. When I was a kid, we had this ritual of sitting in the veranda and biting into oranges, at times spiced up with a little salt. During the winter vacations we used visit our grandma's place in the countryside. And then every morning after breakfast, we would all sit down in the sun and bite into the juicy goodness of the citrusy fruit with my grandma regaling us all with stories. It used to be a time to connect, to bond and to savor.

Now with our busy life and having moved to the big city where we live in an apartment and have no access to veranda and porch and backyard, I have kind of tried to cheer me up by trying to make this orange cake. This was a kind of first attempt and I wont say that I am super happy with the results but now that I have made it once I know where exactly I can make the required changes to make it more delicious.

Well if you think the pics above looks tempting, try making it too. It doesnt need half the effort it looks and leaves a good tangy taste unlike a normal cake that we are all generally used to. Since I was making it for the first time I tried making a really small cake.

For the Cake:

1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 spoon baking powder
2/3 cup multipurpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3-4 spoons fresh orange juice
3 drops orange essence
A pinch of orange rind (optional)

Method: Sieve the flour n baking powder. Whisk the egg, sugar, oil and mix them well. Then add the flour and mix well. Once mixed properly, add the orange juice, essence and rind (if using). Mix them well. Line a baking tray and bake in the microwave for 3 minutes. If using an oven bake at 170 degree for about 20 minutes. Check and then put it in for longer if required.

For the topping:

3 tbsp orange marmalade
1 spoon sugar
4 spoons low fat cream

Mix all the three together in a double boiler. And when the consistency turns a little thin and bubbly pour it on top of the cake.

Voila !!