Ultimate Orange Cake

Ultimate Orange Cake

Ingredients

For The cake

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour sifted
• ¾ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup butter melted
• 1¼ cups freshly squeezed orange juice 3-4 large oranges
• 2 tablespoons orange zest plus more to taste*

For a Crunchy Sugar Glaze

• ⅓ cup fresh orange juice 1-2 orange
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 cup granulated sugar

For an Icing Glaze

• ⅓  cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1  tablespoon melted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F/180°C and greasing the pan.
• In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, then set it aside.
• Next, using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the eggs and sugar on high speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, which should take about 5 minutes.
• With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the oil and then the butter, being sure to combine thoroughly. Add the orange juice and zest and continue mixing slowly until everything is combined. Finally, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix.NOTE: depending on the brand of flour you use, the batter may be quite wet.
• Add batter to the prepared pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes for a 12-cup/10-inch bundt pan until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (see recipe notes for more pans and cooking times).
• Allow to cool for 30 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack.

For The Crunchy Glaze (Applied to Warm Cake)

• In a small bowl, mix together the orange juice, zest, and sugar and mix well until combined.
• Place a sheet of baking paper under the cooling rack to catch any glaze that drips off the cake. While the cake is still warm, remove it from the pan, prick the cake all over with a skewer, and then pour over the glaze.
• Place a second sheet of baking paper next to the cooling rack and move the cooling rack over to the clean paper.
• Use the original sheet of paper to pour any excess glaze that drips off the cake back onto the cake. Repeat this step as needed to make sure the cake is thoroughly glazed.
• Set the glazed cake aside to set the glaze and finish cooling. As the glaze sets, the juice will sink into the cake, and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.

For A Soft Icing Glaze

• Allow the cake to cool completely.
• Combine the orange juice, zest, butter and sugar in a small bowl and stir until well mixed and smooth. In case the icing is not easily pourable, you may heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. If the consistency is still too thin, gradually add more sugar until it reaches the desired thickness.

Notes

Alternate cake size baking times:Two 8x4 loaf pans, bake for 40 to 50 minutes24 Muffins, bake  for 20 to 25 minutesTwo 8 or 9-inch round pans, bake for 25 to 30 minutesTwo 8-inch square pans, bake for 25 to 30 minutesTips:

• To avoid sticking to the pan, allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
• With this recipe, the orange flavor becomes stronger with time, giving you a citrus burst in every bite. For the ideal texture, leave the cake to rest in an airtight container for 8 hours at room temperature before serving.
• As this recipe uses oil instead of butter for extra moisture, it’s important to beat your eggs well for a light and fluffy result.
• I highly recommend using fresh oranges for this cake. Like my Lemon Drizzle Cake, fresh juice is key to getting that bright citrus flavor.
• For the zest, it's much easier to zest the oranges before juicing. Be sure to only zest the orange portion of the peal as the white will be bitter.
• If the top of the cake browns quickly while baking, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Once glazed, let the cake cool completely before serving. It's even better the next day!

*My original recipe called for 4 tablespoons of zest in the cake, but many users found it too strong, so I changed it to 2 tablespoons.  You can add more if you like a stronger orange flavor. Be sure to only zest the orange part of the peel the white is bitter and will be unpleasant.