Almond orange chiffon cake

I'm sort of addicted to baking chiffon cake these days, especially after seeing each of them rise and brown so nicely. They are also easy to bake and because they feel so light, I feel less guilty eating more of them. I also have a big family to share my fats bakes!

The crunch from the almond flakes give a nice twist to an ordinary orange chiffon cake.

Almond orange chiffon cake
(yields 23cm chiffon tin)

Ingredients/ Method
5 egg yolk
100ml fresh orange juice (from 2 1/2 oranges) 
orange zest from 2 oranges
50g unsalted butter, melted  
1/8 tsp salt
60g cake flour, sifted, 
30g rice flour, sifted
Almond flakes 

Egg whites:
5 egg white 
75g caster sugar
1 tsp corn flour 

1. Mix orange juice, melted butter and salt in a bowl and stir. 
2. Using hand-mixer or whisk, add in orange juice mixture to egg yolk and mix well.
3. Add in flour and whisk till smooth batter. Add in orange zest and mix well. Set aside. 
4. Mix sugar and corn flour, set aside. 
5. Use a cake mixer, whisk egg white till foamy and add in sugar/corn flour gradually. 
6. Whisk egg white till stiff peak. 
7. Turn cake mixer to low (KA 2) and slowly pour in egg yolk mixture to egg white. Continue whisking till well combined. 
8. Pour batter into a 23cm tube pan, smooth the surface. Add almond flakes on top of the batter. 
9. Bang the tube pan on the table top for a few times. 
10. Place pan into a preheated 150 deg C fan-oven and bake for 45 mins (23cm chiffon tin). 
11. Remove from oven, invert cake onto table top.
12. Leave it cool completely before removing from tin.

Orange cheddar cheese cupcake

Another breakfast treat! Modified from the original cheddar cheesecake and just as soft & fluffy, but not cheesy enough.

I'm also submitting this to Little Thumbs Up April: Orange hosted by Ann of Anncoo Journal.


Orange Cheddar Cheese Cupcake
(makes 8 cupcakes)

Ingredients:  
3 slices of Cheddar Cheese
50ml fresh orange juice
50g unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites (preferably cold, place in fridge after separating)
50g caster sugar
50g cake flour
zest from 2 oranges


Method: 

1. In a heatproof saucepan, place the butter, orange juice and tear up the cheddar chesee slices in. 
2. Place saucepan over medium low heat and stir gently until all is melted and mixed in together. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool before use. 
3. Ladle big spoonful of the milk mixture into the egg yolks. Mix well and then add in the rest of the milk mixture in. Add in orange zest and stir well. 
4. Sift in the cake flour into the egg yolk mixture and make sure no lumps. 
5. Preheat the oven to 155C with a water bath. 
6. In another large mixing bowl, add the egg whites in and beat till foamy. Add in the sugar gradually and beat till stiff peaks. 
7. Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites portion into the cheese mixture. And repeat with the other 2 portions and careful not to deflate it.
8. Pour the batter into the baking case. 
9. Bake the cake in the oven for 20-22 minutes or till the tester comes out clean.

Chocolate chips orange cupcake

This was baked for my baby's actual 7th birthday as it's still a school day for him. Wishing him healthy, happy, smart & smooth sailing as always! Baked with love <3 nbsp="" p="">

I'm copying the recipe here for ready reference. The original recipe is here.

Ingredients: (makes 12 cupcakes) 

25g corn oil

35g freshly squeezed orange juice
3 eggs (large), cold from fridge
95g caster sugar
100g Top flour or cake flour
1/4tp fine salt
1 orange rind
1/3 cup chocolate chips 

Method: 

1. Mix corn oil and orange juices together, set aside
2. Mix flour and salt together, sift them twice, set aside
3. Remove eggs from the fridge, add into the mixing bowl, add in caster sugar, immediately beat it till pale, thick and fluffy (Use KA mixer with balloon whisk, 3mins at speed 8-9, 10mins at speed 4-5, 2mins at Speed 1-2, total time 15mins ).
4. With mixer running at speed 1-2, add in orange rind, add flour spoon by spoon, then add in corn oil + orange juices, and chocolate chips, do not over mix. Remove mixing bowl, use a spatula to fold the batter till well combined.
5. Pour batter in a lined 12 holes muffin pan until 90% full. Lightly tap on countertop twice to remove air bubbles.
6. Bake at pre-heated oven at 170C for 25mins at middle rack.

Mandarin orange chiffon cake

A good chiffon cake recipe using left-over mandarin oranges from CNY. 

I'm copying the recipe here for easy reference. The original recipe is here. 

Ingredients (makes one 17cm chiffon tin)

3 egg yolks
20g sugar
30g vegetable oil
40ml fresh Mandarin orange juice
zest of 1 Mandarin orange
50g cake flour

3 egg whites
50g sugar
5g corn flour

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by Mandarin orange juice and zest. 
3. Sift cake flour twice and add into egg yolk mixture. Mix until just combined. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add in combined sugar and corn flour mixture gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches. 
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 35 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

 

Orange butter cake

The Easter long weekends gave me enough time to unwind and time to bake. Other than the Vanilla Beans Macarons, I also baked some orange butter (cup)cakes. It was meant to be a test bake for my niece's full month celebration this coming Sunday, and I'm now torn to bake this or my favourite chocolate cake.



Actually just this year, our family is blessed with 2 "小龙女" (baby girl born in the year of dragon per chinese zodiac), first from my elder sister who's residing in States, and second from my youngest brother. Because of the distance, we are not able to fly over to States to hug the lil one now but I'm already planning to go by next year or earlier if possible. With my brother's newborn baby, it gave my boy more excuses to take the train to visit them during the weekends. I can't forget my boy's first expression when he saw my brother's baby in the hospital - anticipating, exciting, happy and bewildered! He must be imaging how the baby was in my sis-in-law's bump on a Saturday and came out as such a beautiful baby 2 days later! It still bewildered me and keep me constantly amazed with such miracle and beautiful creations!



Anyway back to baking the cake, I love how the orange zest were rubbed with the sugar - smell, taste and sight, love how each addition of ingredients were incorporated into the batter. The mixture didn't get too wet even with fluids being added and it just turned out so beautifully! Taste-wise, the cake turned out like an old-fashioned butter cake, moist and fluffy. The orange zest give you a slight twist and it feels good knowing that only 100% fresh orange juice is used!



Orange butter cake
(Recipe adapted from Baking Library;
yield 12 standard size cupcakes, 2 mini loaves)

Ingredients/ Method:
250g self raising flour, sifted
250g good quality unsalted butter, softened
185g castor sugar (I reduced it to 170g)
170g whole eggs, at room temperature (about 3 eggs)
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange)
finely grated zests of 2 oranges

1) Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Prepare baking tins or lined cupcake moulds and set aside.
2) Grate the orange zest over sugar and rub them together. You will get orange-infused sugar, super nice!
3) In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and orange-infused sugar on medium high speed for about 5 mins until pale and fluffy.
4) Add beaten eggs to butter mixture in 6 additions, ensuring that each addition is well incorporated before adding the next addition.
5) Add 1/3rd of flour to the egg-butter mixture on low speed till well incorporated. Next add in half of orange juice to batter till well incorporated.
6) Add another 1/3rd of flour to the batter till well incorporated. Add the remaining orange juice and mix till well incorporated. Lastly add the remaining flour into the batter and mix till well incorporated.
7) Scrape the side and bottom with a spatula for any loose ingredients.
8) Using an ice-cream scoop, fill up 2/3rd of the lined cupcake mould and bake at 180 deg C for 25-30 mins.
9) For mini loaves, I bake for about 40-45 min at 180 deg C.
10) Check doneness when skewer come out clean after inserted into cake.
11) Allow cake to cool completely on wire rack.



Enjoy!