Sicilian Orange Cake

This was once a popular cake in the blogosphere. Everyone who tried, loved it. The cake is buttery, moist, soft and fluffy with a nice aroma of orange citrus.

Source : Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Makes one 9 x 5″ loaf pan ( I used 7 x 4.5″  which turned out a little too high )

Sicilian Orange Cake

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

grated orange zest from 2 oranges

250g self raising flour  ( I used 250g cake flour + 8ml scoop baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt)

120ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2tsp rum, optional ( I added )

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a cake pan.

2. Using an electrical beater, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs,  one at a time, beating well after each addition, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest and rum. Add the flour all at once and mix well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45-50mins or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly greased aluminum foil.

5. Leave the cake, in the pan, to cool on a wire rack, then unmold and serve.

Papa’s Butter Cake

The other day while chatting with elder brother, my regular food taster, told me that he’s still keeping our papa’s butter cake recipe. I was bubbling with excitement and requested for the recipe.  This is a simple butter cake but it brings back fond memories of good old days – warm, rich smells of butter cake and cookies that my late father baked for Lunar New Year….WE MISS YOU!

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

Use good quality butter and vanilla extract  for this recipe in return for a  heavenly butter cake.   

This recipe is adapted and modified from Nasi Lemak Lover “Old Fashioned Butter Cake”.

*makes a 8” square cake pan

Ingredients :
250g butter ( I use Lurpak )
100g sugar
5 egg yolks (large)
230g cake flour
1tsp double action baking powder ( replace by ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream tartar + ¼ tsp cornstarch )
4tbsp milk
1/2tsp vanilla essence ( I use pure vanilla extract )

5 egg whites (large)
90g sugar

Method
1. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.

2. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and baking powder and beat well to combine. Fold through the milk and combine well.

3. Beat egg whites in a clean large bowl until soft foam. Gradually add in sugar, and beat till soft peak.

4. Take one portion of the egg white mixture, and use a hand whisk to stir well with egg yolk mixture till combine and thick paste.

5. Slowly fold in the balance egg white with a spatula till well combine.

6. Spoon the batter in a cake pan which line the base with paper and lightly grease.

7. Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 55mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Marble Chocolate Cake

Left with lots of egg whites from attempting Kueh Lapis.  Here you go, another recipe that uses a substantial amount of egg whites.  This cake is light and fine.   The recipe came from Aunty Yochana who had named her cake Fly African.  I baked mine without walnut as my family prefers plain.  Ovalette is being used which has added to the lightness in the finished product.  Ovelette is a cake stabilizer / emulsifier used in baking sponge cakes or steam cakes.  It helps the eggs to rise rapidly and also to remain stable therefore ensuring that eggs do not lose their voluminous texture.

Recipe adapted and modified from Yochana Cake Delight.

Ingredients:

10 egg white (about 360 gm.) – cold
2 egg yolks
220 gm. castor sugar -
250 gm. Hong Kong flour/Superfine Flour (Softasilk flour is the best for this cake) — I use cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. Ovalette (emulsifier)
1 Tbsp. Condense milk
7 ozs. melted butter (about 210 – 220 gm. melted butter)
1 tsp. Butter Oil / vanilla essence –I use vanilla extract
15 gm. cocoa powder + 1 tsp. of Instant coffee powder
1 – 2 tsp. of chocolate emulco (colur depends on your cocoa powder)
150 gm. chopped walnuts – I omitted this

Method:

1.  Beat egg white, egg yolk, sugar, flour, ovalette and baking powder together at  high speed until it’s fluffy and almost double in volume.

2.  Pour in condense milk , mix for awhile and then pour in the melted butter. Do  not beat too long, just let it mix till even and then stop the machine.

3.  Prepare a 10″ round baking tin (I used 9” square), lined with greaseproof papaer.

4.  Divide the cake batter into 2 portions. Add cocoa powder and nescafe mixture into one portion and if the colour is not dark enough, add in some chocolate emulco. Add Butter oil into the other plain portion.

5. Scoop the batter alternately into the prepared tin and sprinkle chopped walnuts on every alternate layer.

(6) Sprinkle some chopped walnuts or slice amonds on top of the cake and bake at 180C for 60 mins.

(7) Cool on wire rack.