Who doesn’t love sweet winter oranges, especially when said oranges are zested and the tequila-sunrise-colored juice is hand-squeezed into a glass measuring cup – a few splashes of orange oil ripple towards the edge like ink dots. Fresh-from-the-farm eggs whipped with sugar become light and airy; flour is added in alternating batches with the juice and batter is ribboned into a loaf pan and baked.
Heady orange perfumes the kitchen and The Professor and I take turns peering through the oven door to see if the cake is ready. More juice and a few teaspoons of sugar are boiled into a slightly thickened sauce and as soon as that beautifully amber-colored cake is removed from the oven and turned out onto a rack, it is bathed in glistening stickiness. And now we wait.
Tick-tock . . . 60-minutes is all we can take before the serrated knife is pulled from its sheath and the first bites taken. ‘Mmmmm,’ I say. ‘Mmmmmm,’ he says, eyes wide. ‘I think this might be the best one you’ve made.’ I tend to agree . . . but I might need to make another, before I give my final decision.
GLUTEN-FREE CARA CARA ORANGE POUND CAKE
Makes 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 Tablespoons butter (1 stick)
- 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar (reserve ¼ cup for glaze)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons zest from Cara Cara oranges
- 210 grams gluten-free flour mix (your favorite)
- 1-1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your mix already includes xanthan)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed Cara Cara orange juice (reserve 4 Tablespoons for glaze)
- 6 Tablespoons kefir (can sub any soured milk)
- 2 teaspoons pure orange oil
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter and flour one 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; line the bottom with parchment paper
- Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitting with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy
- With mixer on medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time; add orange zest
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour mix, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, baking soda and salt
- In a medium bowl, add 2 Tablespoons orange juice, kefir and orange oil
- Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour
- Pour batter into loaf pan, smooth the top and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean (mine took about 55 minutes)
- When the cake is finished, cool in its pan for 10 minutes
- While the cake is cooling, cook the remaining juice and sugar in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved and has thickened just a bit
- Remove cake from its pan and place on a baking rack set over a sheet pan
- Brush warm cake with glaze until all of the glaze is used
- Cool cake completely before slicing