Fresh is best…

This week, not only did I have an oversupply of fresh free-range eggs, we were given a large bag of homegrown oranges.  How lucky are we!  Our friends who live nearby and who have quite a large brood of chickens gave us two dozen large (very large eggs!).  My brother and my sister in law have citrus trees and gave us some delightful oranges.  So it was time to bake. This time I decided on a cake that I made often as a child, My Favourite Orange Butter Cake.

Zesty Secret

The concept of this cake is simple – it’s your basic butter cake with the flavour of orange but the secret is in the amount of orange zest used.  I use the zest of two large oranges along with their juice which is about 2/3 of a cup.  The cake is light, on the moist side and beautifully flavoured and fragrant. I include almond meal which keeps it moist.

Bountiful Gifts

But don’t think Milly and Molly have been sidelined this week because of the injection of their girlfriend’s bounty. I can always use their beautiful eggs. It is wonderful to have a plentiful supply of the freshest, healthiest eggs to bake with and when their friends provide we are so grateful.  Home grown eggs are so great – they are large and the yolks are so orange and flavoursome.  This is the reason I have chickens and why it is still great to receive extra eggs at any time.

My sister in law has been dropping around oranges to us often when their trees are fruiting.  Homegrown oranges are something else.  They are so tangy and juicy.  Again, we are spoilt!

Only crumbs left

I made my Favourite Orange Cake on a Saturday morning and the family absolutely powered through it for the whole day.  I was thinking we would have it for morning tea the following day but there were nothing but crumbs left by Saturday afternoon! It was good to see because two of the ingredients were home grown and as fresh as possible so it had to be beneficial right? Well, in moderation, as cakes go this recipe isn’t really that bad.

Possible Variations

You could ice this cake with a simple orange glaze icing if you prefer.  I think this was how I enjoyed it as a child.  My preference these days is to just dust with icing sugar and zest.

My Favourite Orange Butter Cake is simple, flavourful and moreish for anyone who tries it.  The tang of the zest and juice from the oranges is amazing and makes it a delightful addition to your repertoire of cake recipes.

What’s your favourite orange cake recipe?