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Orange Cardamom Cake


***Boy, am I glad it's Friday! The weather has been so rainy here lately in Alabama. It seems like it has rained for 2 weeks straight. I won't complain about it, though...last year's drought is certainly non-existent now! I'm so glad for that!

This Orange Cardamom Cake definitely brightened up our rainy days last weekend! One of my favorite flavor combos recently has been orange and cardamom. Mmm, Mmm...My love affair with cardamom and orange started with one of our Daring Bakers' challenges. You might remember it...the Danish Pastry Braid. I've loved the combo ever since!

Brad's sweet Grandmother recently requested an Orange Cake...I was thrilled for the challenge! I didn't have an Orange Cake recipe, but I had something in mind. I envisioned a beautiful Bundt cake, with orange glaze dripping down the sides. When I found this recipe from Cooking Light, I knew I had found the one!

I did make a few minor changes to the original recipe. First, I added a little extra cooking oil to the batter after reading the recipe reviews. Some of the reviewers mentioned that the cake could use a little bit more moisture. I'm so glad that I added extra...the texture was great. Next time, I might even add a little extra orange juice. I also added some extra grated orange peel to the glaze. The specs of orange looked beautiful on the cake! To top it off, I added even more freshly grated orange peel. The results were gorgeous...I was thrilled! Everyone really enjoyed this one!!!***

Ingredients:
Cake:
Cooking spray (I use "Pam for Baking" spray...It's got flour in it and works wonders!!!)
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup canola oil (I used 3/4 cup instead!)
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 tbsp. freshly grated & minced orange rind
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add 3/4 cup orange juice, canola oil, orange rind, lemon rind, vanilla, and eggs to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at low speed until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Spoon batter into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.

To prepare glaze, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons orange juice, and lemon juice in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over warm cake; cool cake completely on wire rack.

Comments

Colleen said…
This looks beautiful! I have never had cardmom before!
Géraldine said…
Hum ! I 'm going to test it!! thanks!
Anonymous said…
Your cakes are always so beautiful! This is so pretty! I love it!

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