It’s no secret that oranges are packed full of vitamin C and other health-boosting nutrients. They’re the first thing I reach for when I’m feeling under the weather and need a bit of a pick me up. I love snacking on sweet, juicy segments cold from the fridge and enjoying its tang in juices.

I collected about a kilo of oranges in my fruit bowl from this month’s produce delivery boxes, and in this post I’m sharing two of the cakes I made with them.

All about Oranges

Oranges are one of the most popular fruits in the citrus family. They’re high in vitamin C, and antioxidant that protects against cell damage and boost the immune system.

There are two main varieties grown in Australia: Navel and Valencia. Navel oranges have a thicker, pebbly skin and are available from Winter to mid Spring, while Valencias are juicier with a thin, smoother rind and are available in Summer.

Baking with Oranges

Oranges are a dream to bake with because you can literally cook the whole fruit – rind and all! Some orange cake recipes use whole, boiled oranges which are pureed and mixed into the batter, while others utilise zest or juice.

I love using my microplane when baking with oranges; it peels the zest off effortlessly and releases so much fragrance from the fruit.

Easy Orange Cake

This simple recipe doesn’t require any fancy ingredients. You probably have everything you need in your pantry already. It’s a wholesome cake with a lovely bite and zesty aroma – perfect for morning or afternoon tea.

Ingredients

• 160g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 230g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 whole orange)
• 3 eggs
• 240g plain flour
• 70g almond meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius (fan forced). Line a 18cm round springform cake tin with baking paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in the almond meal.
3. In the large bowl of a cake mixer, beat the butter, sugar and zest together at medium to high speed until light and fluffy. You could also do this by hand with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the milk. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is mixed in properly.
6. Scrape the batter into the lined tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Dust with a little bit of icing sugar if you wish, and enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake

I love the flavour combination of orange and chocolate. It’s brings back memories of tucking into jaffa balls as a kid. I found this cake recipe online and its short ingredient list and use of whole oranges intrigued me so I just had to try it.

This orange cake has only 7 ingredients and is both dairy free and gluten free. The oranges are boiled whole for 2 hours, then the whole fruit is pureed in a food processor (skin and all). The rest of the ingredients are added to the food processor, then the mixture poured into a tin and baked. You can prepare the oranges the day before and then then blitz everything together when you’re ready to bake.

The result is a fudgey but light cake with a strong, orange flavour and chocolatey richness. It’s a divine cake that’s easy to make and lasts a while in the fridge (if there are any leftovers!).

Ingredients

• 2 whole oranges
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 200g almond meal
• 240g caster sugar
• 40g cocoa

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a 18cm round springform tin with baking paper.
2. Place the oranges in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 hours or until soft, you may need to top up the water midway through if the level gets too low. After 2 hours, drain and cool the oranges. If you’re making the cake the day before, you can place the oranges in the fridge at this point.
3. Cut the cooled oranges into quarters, remove any pips and place the cooked pieces into a food processor (leave the skin on). Blitz until the mixture is a smooth puree.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blitz until just combined. Pour batter into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
5. Cool in tin for 30 minutes, then remove from tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

For more seasonal cooking inspiration, check out my other Seasonal Cooking Project posts here.