I know that it's another cake recipe.  I've decided though that I just have to stop apologizing.  It's part of who I am.  It's in my DNA.  I wish that I could tell you that it's vegan or no sugar or made completely with whole wheat flour and wheat bran.  I would love to be able to tell you that it's full of flax seed or whatever the hell the latest thing is that going to do everything from lower your cholesterol to adding about 20 years to your life span whilst simultaneously taking 15 years off your face.
It's not.  It's just cake.
I had to make it 'cause the oranges in my house were wilting and I had egg whites people.  EGG WHITES.  And anyway, who wants to eat whole wheat flour and flax seed when they get home from work/school?  Not me.  Even if it's flax seed cake.  I want cake.  Not a lot.  Just enough.  I'll eat a piece of fruit too.  I'll eat some whole wheat bread with natural almond butter... but sometimes I also want a little taste of cake.  And no chocolate this week Please.
Look, I'm not averse to all things healthy and natural and crap.  I like it too.  I use seeds and flax and whole wheat and oats.  I can proudly tell you that D now likes... prefers even... brown rice.  That makes me happy.  What makes me even happier is that my kids prefer to eat my treats than the crap in their hallowe'en bags.  That makes me proud.  Plus, having that little hit of sugar makes the getting home after work so much easier in the middle of November.  Not that November has been so bad.  I'm still collecting little raspberries from the bush and look at what was blooming the other day... it's actually a little weird.


I guess that sometimes you just need the hit.  That little punch to your system.  Maybe we're addicted.  Maybe it's wrong.  But please don't hate me for my cake.  This sweet, innocent little orange cake just needing to be wanted.  It's very unassuming.  It's very simple.  I prefer it with no icing but the rest of the people in my house wanted it so I obliged.


What can I say:
Happy.


Orange Cake adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs separated (or 1 yolk and about 3 eggs whites - jeez, maybe I used more than that)
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg yolks and beat until fluffy.  Add in the orange zest and beat until combined.
Add the flour and orange juice alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.  Beat continuously.
In another bowl beat the egg whites until stiff.  Fold gently into the cake batter.
Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the sides pull away from the edge of the pan and a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and the remove to a cooling rack.
Glaze #1 (if you choose) while the cake is still warm.

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Heat together for about 5 minutes until it forms a light syrup.  Pour over warm cake.

Glaze #2 (this is the one that I made)

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
enough cream to get it to the desired consistency.
Mix together adding cream a little at a time.
Pour onto cooled cake.