Italian orange cake
Origin of the recipe
For a winter evening with your family, we have a wonderful, easy-to-make recipe with a New Year's aroma and a bright, sunny color. This is the most famous and beloved orange cake in Italy. Almost every Italian family makes it in various variations (just like they do apple charlotte in Russia), and its popularity hasn't waned over the years. Although this is essentially a quick and easy pastry, thanks to a clever combination of simple and affordable ingredients, it has a wonderful texture and a pleasant taste. The sponge cake is airy, and the layer of orange custard makes the cake especially tender, and the taste unforgettable. And while you're making it, the orange aroma will waft throughout the apartment, creating a super-festive atmosphere!
What do you need for cooking?
Ingredients
-
Butter
-
Orange zest
-
Orange juice
-
Eggs
-
Powdered sugar
-
Lemon juice
-
Flour
-
Baking powder
-
Cornstarch
-
Salt
For the cream
-
Orange juice
-
Orange zest
-
Sugar
-
Yolks
-
Starch
Kitchen utensils
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Pot
- Baking paper
- Whisk
- shoulder blade
- Sieve
- Fine grater
- Baking pan
- Brush
- Cling film
- Juicer
Step-by-step recipe
Step 1:
Melt the butter.
Step 2:
Finely grate the zest of half an orange.
Step 3:
Squeeze 35 ml of juice from the orange (half an orange is enough).
Step 4:
Take the whites of 4 eggs. Beat them and add 120 g of powdered sugar.
Step 5:
Add a couple of drops of lemon juice.
Step 6:
Add the yolks one at a time, without stopping beating.
Step 7:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and cornstarch.
Step 8:
Add salt and mix gently with a spatula.
Step 9:
Add a little dough to the oil and stir.
Step 10:
Add the dough with butter to the total mass.
Step 11:
Grease an oven dish with butter and place the dough on the paper.
Step 12:
Bake for 35 - 140 minutes at 180 degrees.
Step 13:
Squeeze 150 ml of orange juice, add zest.
Step 14:
Add sugar. Heat until the sugar dissolves.
Step 15:
Mix 2 yolks and starch. Stir.
Step 16:
Strain the juice through a sieve and pour into the starch with yolks.
Step 17:
Cook the cream, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
Step 18:
Cover with cling film.
Step 19:
Slice the pie lengthwise to create two layers. Spread the cooled cream on the bottom layer and top with the top layer.
Step 20:
Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with orange slices.
Cooking tips
You can add honey to the dough - it will give the cakes a special taste and aroma.
The cream can be made with orange juice, but for the scent you will still need to use fresh orange zest.
You can bake two layers at once. To avoid a crumbly cut, lightly soak the layers with syrup or orange juice. This soaking is also recommended if you simply prefer a moister cake.
If you want to decorate the cake more formally, you need to prepare 1.5 times more cream and not only layer it between the layers, but also coat the cake both on top and on the sides, and then decorate it, for example, with whipped cream and/or flaked almonds.
In this recipe, you can substitute lemon for the orange, but you'll need to add more sugar. Since lemon isn't as intensely colored, you can intensify the color of the dough or cream with turmeric.
The cake can be made in advance and served chilled - it makes a tender, cool and aromatic dessert.
