Our cookbook of the week is The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi. Tomorrow, we’ll feature an interview with the author.
To try another recipe from the book, check out: Pistachio-cherry cake , and plum and black pepper cake .
With pans shaped like blossoms or faceted like crystals, you have to do relatively little as a baker to make a Bundt cake look beautiful, says Benjamina Ebuehi . Here, she emphasizes bright citrus flavours in a summery dessert that’s as nice to eat as it is to look at.
She soaks the cake in an orange-scented syrup (which adds to its longevity) and incorporates orange blossom water in both the batter and the glaze.
“It’s just so floral and fresh,” says Ebuehi. “And then the yogurt gives a really nice tang, and a soft and slightly dense crumb. But still also equally quite light … I love using florals in cakes, especially around spring and summertime. It’s just light. Very light and floral.”
ORANGE BLOSSOM & YOGURT BUNDT
For the syrup:
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Juice of 1 orange
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp (225 g) superfine sugar
Zest of 2 large oranges
3 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) orange blossom water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) olive oil
Scant 2/3 cup (150 mL) yogurt, room temperature
For the glaze:
3/4 cup (100 g) icing sugar
1/2 tsp orange blossom water
Juice of 1/2 orange
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously grease a 10-cup (2.6-L) Bundt pan with some butter and dust lightly with flour, tapping out the excess. Be sure to get into all the nooks and crannies to make sure the cake doesn’t stick when baked.
Step 2
To make the syrup, heat the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Step 3
To make the cake, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Rub the zest in the sugar with your fingertips until it resembles wet sand. Add the eggs, orange blossom water and vanilla, and using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the eggs are thick and pale. Turn the mixer to a low speed and alternate adding the dry ingredients and the olive oil. Stir in the yogurt before pouring the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Step 4
Poke plenty of holes across the top of the cake with a toothpick. Pour the syrup on top, letting it seep through the holes. Let the cake cool for exactly 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you try to remove the cake from the pan too early or too late, it could stick to the pan.
Step 5
To make the glaze, mix the sugar and orange blossom water in a small bowl. Add the orange juice 1 spoonful at a time until you have a smooth, pourable consistency. If it’s too thin, add a little more sugar, and if it’s too thick, add a little more orange juice or water. Pour the glaze evenly over the cake and serve.
Yield: 12-16 servings
Excerpted from The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi. Copyright © 2019 Benjamina Ebuehi. Published by Page Street Publishing Co. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
