This orange bread is another take on the famous Whole Orange Cake that has gone viral lately. The difference is how you incorporate the ingredients and the time baking, it changes the whole game. While the recipe for the cake says to combine the flour separately so you don’t develop too much gluten and get a dense cake, in this case, you want the opposite, and it is even easier because you have to blend all the ingredients so it means less work and only one bowl to clean. You can make this in no time. Just blend, dump in the mold, and bake; it is perfect for breakfast or a snack. I love this bread with light teas such as jasmine, chamomile, etc., but it goes great with coffee or just by itself.
Because you are using the whole orange, it gives a more orangey flavor; it adds structure to the cake and a slight bitterness that you can barely taste, but it definitely adds another depth of flavor. A Sicilian orange cake is similar, but this is not an authentic recipe. Still, it is a pretty easy and flavorful cake with a short list of simple ingredients. Here are some tips to keep in mind that may help ensure success in your try.
Tips:
- Use ripe, seedless, sweet orange with thin skin. If it’s a big orange, use one; if it’s medium or small, I use one and a half.
- Use the spoon and level method if you’re using cup measurement.
- Use a portable oven thermometer to ensure your oven has an accurate temperature. I use it every single time.
- I used grape seed oil on the one in the picture, but I’ve used others like olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil. Use any oil that you prefer. You can substitute it with butter; this recipe uses 7 tablespoons of melted butter (105 ml) instead of oil.
- Check the doneness of your cake 10 minutes before the recipe says to avoid overbaking it (since all ovens are different).
Ingredients:
1 seedless, sweet orange with skin (or remove seeds if any)
3 large eggs at room temperature
⅓ cup oil (80 ml)
1/2 tsp vanilla
½ cup granulated sugar (100 gr); add ¼cup (50 gr) more if you like it sweeter.
2 cups self-raising flour * (250 gr)
Method:
- Add all the wet ingredients into a blender, blend into a smooth mixture, then add the flour gradually using the pulse feature in the blender.
- * If you’re making self-rising flour, mix all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and use that flour mixture evenly combined instead.
- Pour the batter into a 5×9 inch (13×23 cm) loaf pan, previously greased and floured. Even the batter in the mold (as shown in the video) to avoid getting an uneven loaf.
- Bake in a preheated oven on the ⅔ lower rack, using upper and lower heat, at 340ºF (170ºC) for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing.
- At this stage, you can add (it is not necessary) orange syrup to make it extra moist. In a small saucepan, dissolve 1 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of orange juice; bring to a simmer for 3 minutes and let cool. Drizzle evenly over the loaf or when you serve a slice.
- Enjoy!
You can freeze the cake once it is completely cooled, wrap it airtight, and store it.
