Orange Loaf Cake - Love at first Bite

Like any apprehensive girl, when the time for finding a suitable partner came, I approched my parents with a "million dollar" question.

Me: How will I know if *He* is suitable for me?

Dad: You will just know!

Me: (scratching my head) what do you mean by that? Comeon dad - dont make this cinematic!!

Mum: It would be cinematic, if we said "Bells will starts ringing", "Butterflies will start fluttering in your stomach", "World will suddenly transform into a rose based aromatic field with you singing duets", "thunderboldts zigzagging",...

Me: Ok Ok stop! Forget that I ever said that...but but, How do I know that he is Mr.Right!

Dad: You will of course not know that *He* is Mr.Right - But the minute you speak to him, you will know! Know that there wont be any major compromises in life - But even if there are, you wouldn't mind doing them. That you would be seeing the world through two eyes instead of 4 - but if you do, you won't mind to see the world through *his* too. That you would struggle, be happy, be sad,in short, live as one instead of two.

Me: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What! Really!!! How!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad: You will know! (sly smile and a mysterious silence!)

Well, I do know now. I know what it is "to know". It happens for many things in life for me now. I don't need the reason..I just know, exactly like what happened with this recipe for Orange Loaf Cake. The minute I saw it, I knew I would love it. I knew that I wouldnt have to tear apart the recipe to enhance it, knew that it would be almost perfect as it and I would love the sensation that it would impart with my first bite.



I first saw this recipe in a Eye doctor's place!(Really!). Went for my regular annual checkup and they had these plethora of mags lying around among which was this Taste of Home edition. I was flipping through it when I saw this recipe. It clicked immedietely and since I had no paper or pen to note it down, I used my phone camera to copy the same. The only changes I made to it(and thats only cos I wanted to use all my oranges and nothing else!) was to increase the Orange juice and decrease the no. of eggs whites from 4 to 2 to accomodate more Orange juice. I also added Orange zest for that extra zing.The rest was just right for me.

Ingredients


• 1-3/4 cup Cake flour
  
  
• 1 cup Sugar
  
  
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
  
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
  
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
  
  
• 1 cup Orange juice
  
  
• Zest of one orange
  
  
• 2 egg whites
  
  
• 2 tbsp confectioner's sugar for dusting
  

Method

In a mixing bowl, conbine the dry ingredients



Add oil and orange juice, beat until smooth.



In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.



Fold it into the Orange mixture.



Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.



Bake for about 1 hour in a pre-heated 350F oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out neat.



Cool for 10 minutes, dust the loaf with confestionaer's sugar and enjoy! :)



I loved every slice of it..Make it and tell me..Did you fall in love at first bite just like me?:)

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This Loaf is packed for a picnic held by Trupti at recipe center

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Eggless Almond Cake

Like many I try to collect eggless cake recipes. Most of them turn out to be 'Blech! what was I thinking', few of them 'Umm..so-so' and handful 'WOW is this really eggless? U must be kidding me'. This one is of the last category. I have made this couple of times and every time, I have been amazed at the ease,simplicity and wonderful taste of this cake. And yeah! The aroma while Baking is something else!



I made this a while back and only today realised that I had forgotton to post it! So here it is Eggless Almond Cake and also my entry for Sunita's Think Spice - Cinnamon Event

Ingredients


• 1 cup light brown sugar
  
  
• 1 cup water
  
  
• 1/3 cup Vegetable shortening
  
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  
  
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (you get broken ones, I prefer this for the nice crunch than the thinly sliced ones )
  
  
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
  
  
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)
  
  
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, blanched( optional )
  

Method

Combine sugar, water, shortening, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer for 5 min .Set aside to cool.



Sift the flour and add soda and baking powder along with the broken almonds. Mix well.



Gently add the wet ingrediants with the dry



Beat well.Add almond extract and mix well Pour batter into a cake tin.



Bake at 325 degrees F for approx 45min to 1 hr. If you want to decorate with the blanched almonds, then remove the pan from Oven abt 30min after set. Decorate with the almonds and then put it back in the Oven for another 15min.



Care should be taken not to keep it for a long while since it could make the cake very dry. If taken at correct time, it comes out all moist and crunchy with nuts.Regular chk is advisable.Once done, cool and cut into slices of your choice and sprinkle with powdered sugar if using.