Laid back evenings – Orange cake

Laid back? not that I come home shrugging and crash on the couch and later do nothing but… This whole week am staying with Somjai, 8 months going to be mama, as her her husband is off for a conference. Having great time with her, I start from office “early” thinking that someone is waiting for me and we have plans to cook together and have dinner, loving it. Then we start to talk, which we did while working together, about work, colleagues in and around department, lots to update….you know :p Giggle, laugh and best is am completely away from laptop and internet, so my dear blog mates, shall get back to all your blog post this weekend :)
Funny thing to be with pregnant ladies is they have increased body temperature and it’s around 10 degrees in Finland or even less in the evening but Somjai switches on the fan , ahem ahem. I’m like shivering and dancing sitting inside a cold closet, with sweater and socks on 😀 we laugh about it. I keep asking baby to kick mama more so I get a chance to sense, but mama bear gets super annoyed :) Sometime baby listens to Aunt Ananda 😀
Back to cake, if you are having a less time to make cake or to do during working days this is the cake. Merie’s parents visited Finland, myself and Vinoo were invited for home made kerala food. Aunty made Aviyal, chicken kurma, rice, papad, ethnic kerala powder to mix with rice, pickle, now my mouth is watering thinking all those delicious food. It was feast for we hungry beast :)
Best part about this cake is, it can be made previous night and let it cool down the whole night, next day top it up with fresh cream with orange zest, they bring ultimate freshness, flavor, super soft and creamy :)

Ingredients
4 eggs separated
125 gram sugar
150 gram margarine (you can use butter)
1 teaspoons  of vanilla  essence
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
125 gram  all purpose flour
2 large orange’s  zest about 2 tbsp ( save ½ tsp of zest for cream topping)

Whip butter and sugar until they are soft and fluffy, next add egg yolk and vanilla essence beat till they form a smooth mixture. Mix dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) together in a bowl. Add them into the butter sugar mixture in small amounts and fold them gently. Add orange zest and mix evenly. Beat white egg till they form single peaks and fold it to cake batter.
Pour mixture into cake pan (I used 18cm). Bake in the middle of the preheated oven at 180 degree degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool down before you make the topping.

For topping

300 ml fresh cream
200 gram sugar (less or more according to your taste)
1 1/2tsp of vanilla extra
1/2 tsp of orange zest
1/2 tsp of Cointreau

Whip sugar, cream, vanilla extract together until single peak is formed. Add saved 1/2 tsp of orange zest to the cream and fold in gently.

Assembly

Slice the cake into half. Now place the top layer of the cake as bottom and drop in half the amount of fresh whipped cream in the middle of the cake. Spread uniformly make sure that it doesn’t reach the corners because when we place the another layer of cake, cream will squeeze out!
Now place the another layer of the cake carefully and gently give a weak press. Evenly spread rest of the cream on top and in the side and make them look the way you want it to look :) I used Kumquats and orange peal flower to bring the whole orange effect.

38 comments

  1. MaryMoh says:

    I can see you are having a great time with your friend. I’m amused to hear that you are cold while your friend feels hot. That’s a fact…pregnant ladies feel hot 😀 They should all go to countries where there’s winter…haha Love your orange cake. I love all desserts with orange or lemon. Your rose made from orange peel is so beautiful! Hope you have fun wherever you are.

  2. Kulsum@JourneyKitchen says:

    Oh I can’t wait my for my sister who’s coming to visit me for some time and I’m going to see her after 2 damn years! And u knw what it never crossed me before that the day she is coming I shd make her a cake or something. Thank u thank u for reminding me! I love citrus cakes. its almost with chocolate on my list of desserts which is a big thing to say for a chocoholic like me !

  3. Catherine says:

    Love this cake – just started following your blog – I have some recipes on my blog if you would like to follow it that would be nice! I love Indian/Subcontinental food as I lived in Bangladesh and travelled/ate all over India and Sri Lanka and Nepal too. Loved S. Indian food best – I see you mention Aviyal – must look up a recipe as it’s delicious
    Look forward to your posts – Catherine

  4. Ananda Rajashekar says:

    Padhu &Prathima Rao &Sharmilee &Priya &Jay & Lav &Treat and Trick &Shabitha Karthikeyan &aipi &satya &Aparna S Mallya &Santosh Bangar

    Thanks a lot dear Ladies

    MaryMoh
    Ha ha Mary oh indeed they are super hot lol….ha ha she did travel a lot but now she not able too, oh yes its my new flick :) thanks you :)

    An Open Book
    Oh thats great Nisha, yes i had :)

    Kairali sisters
    Thanks a lot :)

    Andrea the Kitchen Witch
    Oh thank you :)

    Tanvi
    ha ha i love to call her like that :) thank you dear!

    Choclette
    ha ha Tomatoes, lol sounds fun…have you ever tried? shoudl i ?

    Cool Lassi(e)
    Oh thanks lot dear :) means a lot :)

    Babli
    most welcome to have a bite dear, any time :)

    Kulsum@JourneyKitchen
    How sweet glad it reminded you to do for your sis, hope you have great time with your sis…have fun darling :)

    Sarah-Jane – SiliconeMoulds.com
    How sweet is that …looking fwd what will you make for oliver :)

    Sanchita Karmakar
    Thanks lot :)

    Catherine said…
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and for ur kind words of appreciation :) Glad to know you and your blog :)

  5. Wendy@The Omnivorous Bear says:

    Oh Ananda…. you don’t have to finish your PhD you know… you would be snapped up as a food photographer within minutes! What beautiful photographs you take. You could write a blog on how you manage it – I LOVE seeing your pictures!

  6. Cheah says:

    I can see that you have a lovely blog and pink is your colour. Great cake and good job at peeling the orange skin. Superb clicks too, will visit often.

  7. Devaki says:

    This is wondeful Ananda – It would be impossible to resist a slice of this no matter what the consequence to ones waistline.
    Your galpal and you sound like my Mum and me – she is forever cold and I am forever hot!

    Excellent pics too, btw :)

    Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  8. Ananda Rajashekar says:

    @Sanyukta, Sarah Naveen, Suja Sugathan, Cheah, Fathima, Medifast coupons, Tamanna, Nicisme, Thank you
    @Prerna :) did that quite slowly ofcourse sharp knifes helps
    @Gulmohar Oh yes they are my fav too
    @Wendy Oh thanks lot i shall try to post sometime soon, i wouldn’t mind to be food photographer sometime in the future :)
    @Devaki lol thanks :)

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