Whole Orange Cake with Honey

 

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I hardly ever make cake, but somehow the idea of this cake made with whole oranges got me. The recipe is adapted from one in a recent issue of Sunset magazine, which is similar to one published in the Australian magazine Taste a couple years ago. It was so delicious, not too sweet, but very moist and flavorful. And it came out fine with no modifications for high altitude. Next time I might try adding some cocoa for a chocolate orange cake!

Since I've been interested in baking with honey, I adapted it to use honey in the cake, but I didn't quite go all the way to using honey in the glaze. It didn't rise quite as high, and it came out perhaps a little too moist, but it was still fantastic! Next time I'll add maybe 1/4 cup more flour.

1 lb. oranges, ends trimmed, then cut into chunks and seeded

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup honey
3 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325° and butter a 10-cup Bundt pan. Cut a thick slice off each end of the oranges, and cut into about 1-inch chunks. Pick out as many seeds as you can. Grind orange chunks in a food processor until the mixture has the consistency of relish (not puree).

Cream together softened butter and honey, and beat in eggs one at a time. Beat 1 1/2 cups of the orange mixture into the batter. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add this gradually to the batter and mix until smooth.

Spread batter in prepared pan (it's pretty thick). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it, about 55 minutes. Cool pan on a rack 10 minutes, then invert cake onto rack and let cool completely.

Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and any remaining orange puree in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and let it set before slicing. Although I have to admit, I couldn't wait! So I put the glaze on the hot cake and just let it soak in/drip off, and it was still delicious.