orange you glad?

I used to bake orange cake more frequently. Every August throughout elementary school my mom and I would scurry to the kitchen to make my brother's annual birthday cake. I remember feeling so proud that I got to make my little brother's birthday cake. I would crack the eggs with extra care, zest the oranges slowly and meticulously, and take those extra five minutes to whisk all the lumps out of the batter. And then he would race in, begging to help us prepare his birthday treat and whining when we told him to wait for later. It was a yearly ritual, one I loved, so I was very excited to find another summery orange cake recipe. 

I don't even really know what chiffon cake is supposed to look or taste like, so for all I know this was a giant flub. A giant, tasty flub! (So tasty, in fact, that a mouse chewed his way through a slice. Gross! Stay out of my kitchen, mice!) This cake was really like eating sweet citrus air, a perfect dessert for sticky summer nights. Ok, so maybe dessert is a loose definition. Breakfast, anyone? Lunch? I swear, a slice of this cake with yogurt and fresh berries will perk up even the least morning-ly among us. So without further ado, another citrus cake for summer.

Orange Chiffon Cake

via Epicurious - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Orange-Chiffon-Cake-11583

Ingredients (the page also gave a recipe for a frosting, but I wanted something more simple)

2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

7 large egg yolks

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla

9 large egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Into a large bowl sift together the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt. In a bowl whisk together the oil, the egg yolks, the orange juice, the zest, and the vanilla and whisk the mixture into the flour mixture, whisking until the batter is smooth. 

In the large bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are foamy, add the cream of tartar, and beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat the whites until they hold stiff glossy peaks. 

Stir one third of the whites into the batter to lighten it and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, 4 inches deep, with feet and a removable bottom, and bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Invert the pan immediately onto a rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan upside down on the rack. Run a long thin knife around the outer and tube edges of the pan and turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack. Using a serrated knife cut the cake in half horizontally.

Oh golly. How I love my fruit. Coming up is... unsurprisingly another fruity cake. My Mom's birthday is Tuesday, and she's requested a cake in advance. Maybe eventually this blog will have a little more confectionary diversity, but for now all I want is refreshing, summery fruit.

Hope you're finding a way to beat the heat!