I love those cakes which help me in emptying my pantry of forgotten fruits. And among them it is the orange cake which takes the crown. The citrus flavor of orange in the cake and the goodness of vitamin C calls always for a guilt free indulgence.

But for a very long time many of these attempts of mine at baking fruit cakes used to turn out disappointing. As in not that they weren’t edible but they were not that crumbly or store bought like and used to turn out little dense. As they say baking is both art and science and unless you tumble upon the science and follow it to the dot the art might fall short.

So here goes the exact measures of the ingredients that can help you reach the right texture for an orange cake that is home baked and devoid of preservatives, food colouring or essence yet as addictive and as good.

Ingredients for a six inch sized cake mold (1 cup is equivalent to the size of a standard coffee mug that is about 250 gm):

– 1 cup all purpose flour ( you can substitute with wheat flour but the texture will be slightly nutty. You can also go for 1:1 ratio of all purpose flour and wheat flour for a more healthy option)

– 1 tsp baking powder

– 1/2 tsp baking soda

– 1/3rd cup oil (don’t go below this measure otherwise the cake will turn out dense. Can be substituted with melted butter as well or ghee)

– 1/3rd cup orange pulp grinded of about three small oranges

– 1 whole egg ( this helps in giving a crumbly texture to the cake)

– 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice (helps in making the cake soft and spongy)

– 1/3 rd cup sugar ( this will give a mild sweetness. You can go for 1/2 cup sugar if you want it more sweet. Beyond half cup sugar may again impact the texture of the cake )

– 4 to 5 tbsp curd (especially if using wheat flour then this helps in reducing the nutty flavour and the dense texture that wheat flour imparts)

Recipe (prep time 15 min | baking time 15 min | total time taken 30 min):

1. In a bowl mix up all the dry ingredients together that is flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Give everything a good mix.

2. To the same bowl add all the wet ingredients one by one. You can always mix the wet ingredients separately and then add it to the dry ingredients but well I am lazy 😀.

3. Preheat the oven at 300 watts and 180 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes.

3. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using cut and fold method. Once you feel all the dry ingredients have mixed in pour the cake batter into the baking mold lined with parchment paper (or greased and dusted). And tap the cake mold 2-3 times for the air bubbles to release and the batter to settle in.

The cake batter should be thick but of flowing consistency. If the desired consistency is not achieved you can add water 1-2 tbsp at a time or flour 1 tbsp at a time depending on if the batter seems too thick or too runny.

You can add in choco chips or crushed nuts to the cake batter (in the mix or decorate on the top as per your preference).

4. Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 300 watts and 180 degrees centigrade for 15 – 20 minutes. Check post 15 minutes with a toothpick or knife if the cake is done.

Once the cake is baked and completely cools down you can even slice the cake horizontally from the centre and add a layer of whipped cream for additional taste or warm it up and enjoy it as it is.

PS : I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z at https://www.theblogchatter.com