revive

My SiL was cleaning out some of her books and handed me a cookbook originally published in 1965 (though this edition is a repub from 1974), thinking I would actually use it. I felt the call to the challenge and marked some pages. In general, the recipes are fine, but you can tell a few things are outdated (e.g. she specifically says to use double acting baking powder--which is pretty standard now), so I'm going to  fine tune things a bit as I make these items.

One thing recipes often do is talk about things vaguely. In this recipe, it's the call for 2 oranges. What exactly does that mean? And is there a difference between an orange from 1974 and an orange now, in 2013? So, I'm giving you a point of reference here, as far as a large orange is concerned: my hand measure from heel to tip at about 6½", so you'll know how many to buy at the store. 

The other way to measure is you'll need about 2/3 cup juice and about 2 tablespoons of zest, if you're just buying a large bag of oranges.

Something else she does that's a little unconventional is to butter and bread crumb her pans. Yes, that's right: she doesn't flour--she uses fine bread crumbs. I rather enjoyed the teeny texture change, so I'd recommend going that route, especially for this cake. BUT, feel no shame in using something like Pam Baking spray.

From Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts

2 large oranges, zested and juiced
2½ c flour
1 T + 1 t b. powder
¼ t salt
1 c butter, softened
1½ c sugar
2 eggs, separated + 3 yolks

Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven. Preheat to 350º. Butter a tube pan (angel food cake pan) and dust it with plain, dry bread crumbs.

Sift together flour, powder and salt and set aside.

Whip egg whites until stiff and set aside.

Cream butter and then add the sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes. Add yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl as necessary. With mixer set on low, alternately add the juice and the flour mixture, beating until smooth. Add zest and beat until just combined. Remove from mixer and fold in egg whites. Spoon into pan and bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack with wax paper below. Drizzle with the following glaze, which you can make while the cake cools in the pan.

½ c orange marmalade
2 T water

Bring both to a boil in a small saucepan. 

My notes: this is a dense cake, so be prepared for heavy batter and then cut yourself small pieces to enjoy with your tea. I'd like to try this with less sugar--if anyone does reduce it to just 1 cup, let me know how it turns out! I'm also tempted to add a teeny bit of orange extract, just to pump up the orangey-ness within the cake. Make sure you read the whole recipe first, just so you don't find yourself in a bind, as there are a lot of little steps! 

Following my Instagram feed? Then you got a glimpse of this early!

Book recommendation: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Recipe recommendation: Spanish Orange Cake (Valencian)

Website recommendation: Nature's Symphony