I baked this cake for my parents a few years ago, dropping if off along with a number of other baked items they liked. The very next day my dad phoned to tell me that it was “almost all gone and it was so good he couldn’t stop eating it!” Oh…and could I bake them another one really soon? This cake will forever remind me of them!
Makes One 10” Tube Pan
1 ½ cups unbleached flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Grated rind of 1 orange, a Microplane does a great job
½ cup vegetable oil
6 eggs, room temperature, separated
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup cold water
½ tsp. cream of tartar
Orange Glaze:
1 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted
½ – 1 tsp. grated orange rind
Approximately 4 – 5 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange rind in a bowl. Make a well in the centre; add, in order, oil, egg yolks, orange juice and water. Using a mixer, beat until smooth.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, with the cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Pour batter over egg whites, folding in gently with a spatula until just blended.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 10” tube pan. Place the cake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes; then reduce the temperature to 350 F for 10 minutes. Invert the pan on a rack and allow to cool completely.
When completely cold, remove from the pan by gently running a thin blade metal spatula around the edges of the pan and around the tube lifting the cake very gently as you go around the cake a couple of times until the cake is released. Invert the cake onto a rack.
Make the Glaze:
Combine the sifted icing sugar with enough orange juice to make a medium-thick, pourable icing; stir in the orange rind.
Set the rack with the cake onto a large plate, then pour the glaze over the cake allowing it to run down the sides and middle of the tube. Allow to sit until it sets up a bit before serving.
