Pia’s Orange Cake Recipe

This cake can easily be turned into a lemon cake by using lemon juice instead of orange juice, and adding lemon peel instead of the orange.  Also really good with lime. 🙂  If you do not have any peel, feel free to omit.  I have many times.   I typically use a butter frosting on this cake, mixed with a little orange for extra orange flavor, or a butter chocolate frosting.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
• 2/3 cups of sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tsp finally shredded orange peel

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8 x 11 baking pan.  Line bottom of pan with waxed or parchment paper.  Grease and flour pan.
• In a medium bowl,  combine flour, sugar and baking powder.  Add orange juice, milk, butter, egg, vanilla and orange peel.  Beat with mixer on low speed until combined.  Beat on medium for 1 minute.  Spread into prepared pan.
• Bake 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Cool cake in pan for 10 mins on wire rack.
• Remove cake from pan and let it cool completely on wire rack.
• Plate cake, frost or dust with powdered sugar.

To make as cupcakes:

One batch of batter makes a dozen cupcakes.  Fill each cupcake tin half full.  Bake for 12 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To Freeze Baked:

After cake is cooled, double wrap with saran wrap (plastic wrap), and then tin foil.  Make sure you label the cake with what it is and date.  A frozen cake can last for 6 months in the freezer.  I never frost my cakes before freezing them, I have had bad results in the past.  Unwrap and thaw.  Frost and eat 🙂