"In the Bag" Event: The Best Orange Cake with Even Better Company

I dumped my bags on my unmade bed, unloaded my groceries in the kitchen, and popped open my computer when I got home today. So, here I sit in an otherwise empty room listening to songs rise out of my lap top's speakers, songs that I want to commit to memory and hold fast to as a picture of this past weekend.

I got to spend Saturday and half of today with people I love dearly. If I were to name the college friends I plan on sticking around Facebook for after college, who I would move out of the country to room with in a little European flat, who I want to keep my drawers stocked with stationary for, knowing that a letter sent through the mail is worth the extra time and postage to try and communicate my sincerity, and who, right now, bring happiness by simply snuggling on a couch together, arms intertwined and legs stretched across each other, these would be a good number of them.

I have been blessed by many wonderful friendships in college, but not many have manifested themselves in a cohesive group like this one. I love you, girls.

One of us is going off to Spain in a couple weeks (not me, not yet), and so we got together to wish her well in the coming year. Plenty of desserts were present, as we threw a party for the fact that she is deserting us, and the Orange Cake I made last spring was requested. I gladly obliged.

This cake is so enjoyable to make because the ingredients are simple and pure, and as the whole oranges cook for two hours, they release a sweet citrus fragrance that fills the air.

As it so happens, today is the first birthday of this wee blog. One Hungry Soul is turning one! So the presentation of this cake is also in memory of the day I started exploring the world of food through a camera lens and connecting with like-minded cooks and bakers. You are all brilliant. Thank you so much for introducing yourselves to me and sharing in this journey. Getting to know you through your comments and/or your blogs has enriched my own experiences in the kitchen and in life.

My previous Orange Cake post is here. There is also a link to it on my recipe index. Both places link back to the original recipe, which I have not significantly altered, but if you want to go directly to it click here (a more detailed description is available here).

My notes:
[Nigella Lawson is one of my heroes in the kitchen. I am indebted to her for the brilliance of this cake as I submit it to The Real Epicurean's "In The Bag" seasonal food blogging event.

Previously, I used almond meal, but it is not the cheapest thing to come by where I live, so I finely ground almonds in small batches in the blender this time, making sure not to let them turn to a paste. I didn't even make sure they were blanched, just using the slivered ones, which lent a more rustic aesthetic to the cake.

While Nigella used clementines in the original, two oranges (375 g. or 1 lb.) are a great substitute. I used Cara Caras, which made the color of the cake darker. And because I had difficulty getting it out of the pan and cracked the cake along the way, it worked out perfectly to arrange some candied orange slices on top. A dollop of crème fraîche went in the middle of my asymmetrical "flower" and more in a bowl on the side to accompany deliciously big slices.]


Please indulge me as I post a few more pictures of my time in the past two days. Granted, they are of food, but the sweetest part of those hours was the company. Including getting to share in some Norwegian company and taste my first Kringla, a Norwegian bread-like cookie (I'm still researching it, so please pass on any information or recipes you have because it hasn't been part of my family's recipe pile, and I'd love to include it.)


Update: And here is the site for the roundup of all the delicious recipes submitted to In the Bag!

Surprised By the Common Orange.

My watch says it is going on six o'clock. Katie Melua's Pandora station is crooning to me in this quiet apartment. It's a lovely evening.

And if I stay inside pretending the sunshine giving a glow to branches and rooftops is as warming to the earth as my soul, it becomes even lovelier. Especially with the empty plate next to me. Scraped lines of crème fraîche and orange nutty crumbs are all that remain of a delicious orange cake.

Let me tell you about this cake. It is perhaps the most unusual recipe I have ever made, but when I stumbled upon it on Nigella's website I jotted down "oranges" on my grocery list.

However, I have the horrible habit of grazing over recipe directions until I am actually standing in the kitchen with ingredients spread before me. So, there I was Saturday afternoon with an orange in each hand, surprised to learn that I was supposed to plop them in a large pot of water to boil for two hours. Really? Whole oranges?

Shrugging my shoulders I obediently followed Nigella's prompting and returned to my bedroom to study.


Two hours later I had a pot of very yellow water and whole oranges that looked almost exactly like they had before. But as I picked up on the recipe, which now required the simplest of steps, a beautiful batter came together.

After I put it in the oven I finally began to get excited. For, as I was turning on the faucet to rinse out the mixing bowl, I decided to swipe a finger along the bowl's rim, and what I tasted was sweet and honest. Real citrus. Nibbly almonds.

Delicious.

I've been sharing the cake around since and it's still getting compliments. Tomorrow will likely be its last day of glory, but I know the recipe won't stay neglected for too long. Whether with afternoon tea or at a special dinner, there are too many occasions for cake out there. There are also too many citrus fruits out there secretly desiring to be dunked in a pot and minced into a proper pudding. (There. That word was my ode to Nigella, to Oxford, and to all things British/Kiwi that I love.)

Now go. Bake. Eat with those you love.


Orange Cake Recipe
by Nigella Lawson

Go here for a more detailed description of the recipe.