This lovely orange cake starts with a whole orange - peel and all! The cake is perfectly balanced with just enough orange flavour and lightly sweet. You'll love the generous layer of cream cheese icing, too!
1mediumwhole orange, (any variety, but one with thinner peel will be sweeter or thicker peel a bit more tart)
3largeeggs, separated
1 1/2cups(300g)white granulated sugar
1cup(220ml)vegetable oil
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2 1/2cups(315g)all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
1Tablespoonbaking powder
For the cream cheese icing (optional):
1/4cup(57g)butter, at room temperature
1/4cup(44g)cream cheese, at room temperature
3Tablespoonsmilk
2cups(260g)icing/confectioners' sugar
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare a 4x12 or 9x5 loaf pan by spraying with cooking spray and lining with parchment (for easy removal).
Wash orange well and cut into chunks (including peel). Place orange in blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Add the egg yolks, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla. Continue blending for a few minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Pour orange mixture into a large bowl and slowly incorporate the flour/baking powder mixture.
In another bowl of the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks. Gently incorporate beaten egg whites with the batter. (*Note that the batter is fairly stiff, so folding in the egg whites is a bit tricky. This is the strategy I used ... if your bowl is a clock, with a spatula, slice down the centre from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock, then turning the spatula blade at an angle, scrape underneath towards 7 o'clock, lifting the batter up and over the top. Rotate bowl "one hour" and repeat until all the egg white has been incorporated.
Pour batter in to prepared pan. Bake at 300° F for 40-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
For the icing: Combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth, adding more icing sugar as necessary for a smooth, spreading consistency. Garnish with orange zest and sprigs of thyme, if desired.