Orange Cake

Eurekkaaa!! No...no...don't take me in a wrong way...I am not proving to be Archimedes & neither am I trying to copy his invention ;)...it is just the reflection of my feeling when I discovered the real way to introduce the flavor of juicy oranges into the cake! After hunting a lot for 'lemon zest' in maharashtrian stores (A sincere request to those who already know about 'zest'....do not laugh please!! :) ) & ending up with nothing in hand & nobody knowing about it, I almost decided to drop that particular ingredient from the recipe. But so much thankful I am to google search that I came across some videos where its very well explained what the 'zest' is & how to derive it from the fruit & that is how I ended up saying 'Eureka' :)

The only reason of giving so much importance to the 'zesty' para of this post is because- the real flavor of the fruit is introduced into the cake due to this zest. Be careful though!! You might also end up into a 'bittery' cake....this is where lies the crux of the whole matter! As I have already tried this one...just go ahead & bake it! The result is going to be a wonderfully Orange flavored Cake. I can assure, you will end up 'burping' in Orange flavor!! :)

Orange Cake

Serves: 2-3                        Preparation Time: 20 mins                        Baking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup refined vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup powdered sugar OR 3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used powdered)

Juice of one Orange

Zest of one Orange

a pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp baking pwd

1/2 tsp soda/ sodium bicarbonate

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp orange food color (optional)

Step 1: Get the zest of one Orange. I used a fine grater for this. Make sure you grate only the upper part & no white part of the Orange...else it will add the bitter taste to the cake.

Step 2: Put the pressure cooker on the gas top to pre-heat as explained in previous post. Prepare the batter till then.

Step 3: Sieve the flour, baking pwd & soda. Mix well. Set aside.

Step 4: In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar & oil till creamy.

Step 5: Add egg & continue to beat till frothy.

The Orange zest

Step 6: Add vanilla essence, food color & mix well. Add orange juice, orange zest, salt & continue mixing.

Step 7: Add the flour mixture in batches. Do not overbeat now. Just mix well.

Step 8: Grease the pan & pour the mixture into it. Put it inside the cooker.

Step 9: Cover with a plate placed upside-down.

Step 10: Bake of a medium flame for 15 mins. Reduce the flame & bake for another 5 mins or till the knife inserted comes out clean. Its ready!! :)