Orange Cake

As usual, dessert is my part when it comes to our family Christmas dinner. I was really looking forward to sharing these pictures with you! I'm really proud of this cake! Isn't it an eye-catcher?! Good news: It's not that difficult to make. And it's delicious! After baking, the cake is soaked in orange syrup. It's wonderfully dense and moist. It's rather sweet, but not all that heavy. I - as you might guess - love it served with a dollop of whipped cream ;-)

Recipe
(from one of my favourite books: I love Cake by Trish Deseine)

4 eggs
220g sugar
150g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g butter, melted
120g ground almonds
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

for the syrup:
225g sugar
125ml water
2 or 3 oranges, washed and cut into thin slices

Line a 20cm diameter springform pan with parchment paper and grease well with butter (also line the rim with parchment paper!). Preheat the oven to 160°C.

For the syrup, pour the sugar and the water into a large pan and heat it up while constantly stirring. When the sugar has dissolved, add the orange slices and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the oranges are soft but still keep their shape. Take the pot away from the heat and drain the orange slices. Keep the syrup for later.

Put the eggs and the sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 8-10 minutes until you have a creamy and thick batter about three times the volume of before.

Sift in flour and baking powder and fold in gently (I did it with a rubber spatula). Then, add the melted butter, the almonds and the lemon zest. Fold in until all is well combined.

Now line the rim and the bottom of your springform pan with the orange slices. Fill in the batter and bake for about 50 minutes. Check with a wooden skewer whether your cake is done. There shoul be no dough on the skewer. I left my cake in the oven for about 60 minutes.

Take the cake out of the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes or so. Then, release from the springform pan and turn it over.

Pour over some of the remaining orange syrup. Let cool completely before serving. If you have any leftover syrup, you can serve it together with the cake.

This is my last post this year. My 2012 was great - exciting and fast-paced, sometimes demanding, with an unexpectedly quiet end that gave me time to slow down. It made me realize that it can't hurt to take a break every now and then. I had wonderful moments with my friends and family this year. I got to know new people that grew dear to my heart and I'm looking forward to seeing them again in 2013. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that it's going to be a good year. I wish you all a good start next week!