Orange Tea Cake Recipes

ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 12-cup (10-inch) Bundt pan or two standard loaf pans (either 9 x 13 inch pans or 8½ x 4½ inch pans for taller cakes) and set aside.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment, whisk together eggs and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On low speed and with the mixer running, add oil slowly until combined. Add orange juice, zest, and vanilla extract and keep whisking slowly until combined. Add flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Don't overmix.
• Pour batter into prepared pan/pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes for the bundt pan or 40-50 minutes for the loaves or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top is browning quickly while baking, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Allow cake/cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For the best moist texture, the cake is best served at room temperature. This cake freezes well so if you make two loaves, cover well, and freeze one of them in the freezer for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge

SPICED ORANGE BLOSSOM TEA CAKES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, orange blossom water, salt, baking soda, cloves and allspice. Add the softened butter, working it into the dry ingredients with your hands until fully incorporated. Add the egg and vanilla extract and gently knead the dough until it comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat a grill to 350 degrees F. (See Cook's Note)
• Roll out the dough to roughly 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Punch out six 3-inch rounds, re-rolling the dough once if necessary. Place the dough rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure they are evenly spaced.
• Place the baking sheet over indirect heat on the grill. Bake the tea cakes until set but still pale, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool. Additional garnishes can be added to the top of the tea cakes. I enjoy adding a sprinkle of allspice at the end.

ORANGE TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Squeeze oranges for juice, and grate just the orange sides for the rind.
• Make sure not to have any white bits.
• Preheat oven at 350°F.
• Beat butter and sugar till light and creamy.
• Add orange rind, milk, and blend in egg yolks, one at a time.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg whites till soft peaks form.
• Fold in flour a little at a time, adding orange juice a little at a time in between.
• Fold in egg whites, a little a time, until batter is well mixed.
• Pour into a lined, greased loaf pan and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until cake is cooked in the center.

CRANBERRY ORANGE TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325° F. In small bowl, toss cranberries and 1 teaspoon flour; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat margarine and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended. Beat in egg, sour cream, orange peel and orange extract until smooth.
• Beat in 2 cups flour, the baking soda and salt on low speed until well blended. Stir in cranberry mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are light golden. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Sprinkle tops with powdered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

EARL GREY TEA CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
• In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don't overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
• To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners' sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.