To make an orange vanilla cake. A small, golden slab of citrus.
Or borrow the Anne of Green Gables dvd from the library.
Or call your mom.
Or line your table with newspaper and find out if an art project is possible with your 20-month old.
Or try making something new for dinner. (Last night I tried this fajita chicken marinade)
Or re-read Pride & Prejudice or The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Or both.
Or clean the bathroom and clip your finger nails.
Or follow the Iditarod (Happening right now! Isn't it crazy? This is real!) and pick your favorite musher to root for.
Or go to bed at 8:30, after re-watching an old episode of Parks & Rec and having a piece of this cake with your husband.
All things I've been doing/done lately and really enjoying March so far. The end-of-winter days are turning out to be awfully cozy here. And surprisingly, I still look at our weather forecast hoping to see snow in the coming days. Winter hasn't lost its luster for me yet, and I've still got a couple good blizzards in me.
This cake is meant for March. And by that I mean, it's cold and wet. And by that I mean, it's soaked with bright, sweet freshly-squeezed orange juice, mellowed with fragrant vanilla, and stored in the fridge, because that's where it is perfected. It's adapted from this grain-free version (coconut flour only) and my husband pronounced it "awesome."
Juicy Orange Vanilla Cake
gluten-free, makes 1 8x8 inch square pan
3 large eggs
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
1/4 cup coconut milk, full-fat (from the can, not a carton)
6 T. vanilla-infused honey (or regular honey)
2 tsp. vanilla extract*
zest and juice of 2 oranges, divided
1/4 cup + 1 T. coconut flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt coconut oil in a small pot, then stir in coconut milk and honey. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, and zest of both oranges, and blend in the warm ingredients (oil, milk, honey) from the pot. Add coconut flour to the bowl by pouring it through a fine strainer and breaking up any clumps that are caught. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased pan and bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.
When cake is still warm, poke all over with a toothpick or fork. Juice the 2 oranges and drizzle juice over top of cake. We like our cake extra "soaked" so I used all of the juice, feel free to use less if you prefer. Once the cake is room temperature, cover and store in the fridge. Serve once it's fully chilled.
*Add an extra teaspoon of vanilla if using regular honey.
*Add an extra teaspoon of vanilla if using regular honey.
This would make a realllly good breakfast, too.
How are you enjoying the end-of-winter days?
7 comments:
How am I enjoying the end of winter days?
Like you, still begging for snow! (We really haven't gotten much this year :( )
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Evening snacks on the couch in our new "mug bowls"
Pork Chops and Wild Rice
Cozying up with my blanket, books, and the white Christmas lights around our curtain rods that we haven't taken down yet.
Thinking about camp a lot these days. :)
Miss you, Summer!
Oh my, that cake looks amazing! We are big citrus fans in my family, so I might have to try this really soon!
I am hoping for more snow, because we definitely need it where I live! However, I am starting to anticipate spring too...
Re-reading P&P might be a good idea!! :)
This is such a gorgeous cake! And I was just feeling antsy for Spring to arrive, but this made me appreciate those final few days of winter.
Dear Summer!
Thank you for sharing this amazing orange-vanilla cake recipe...I can almost taste and smell it all the way here in Vermont! We are still 'knee-deep' in Winter here but there are a few hints that things might be changing. It's maple sugaring season here and the back roads are muddy and the snow is heavy and wet.
Love your sweet blog--you're the best--the very best!
xo, Mary Ann from Vermont
I think I've commented on it before, but your positive attitude about crummy winter weather is so refreshing. I am a total winter grump this time of year and this reminds me to be thankful and cheerful.
bookmarked- going to have to try this. looks delicious! :)
This is still one of our favorites! Making it today & thanking God for your recipes!