Possible Cooking Methods: Oven Slow Cooker
This cake doesn’t need any frosting – it’s a light and airy sponge cake that is delicately sweet and perfect for a brunch or afternoon tea. It’s baked in a water bath, which produces a thin layer of custard on the bottom of the cake (which becomes the top once you’ve inverted it out of the pan). Simply decorate it with some orange segments or some canned mandarin orange segments if you like things on the sweeter side.
butter, softened (for greasing the pan)
3 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
½ cup sugar
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup fresh orange juice
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
orange segments, to garnish
Oven Directions
Serves:6
Cooking Time:35 minutes
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and grease the pan (and the foil) with butter.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until they are light in color and fall from the whisk in thick continuous ribbons. Add the milk, orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Stir in the flour and salt.
3. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture and pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil. Place the cake pan in a roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come 1 inch up the outside of the cake pan. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven.
4. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of the pan before inverting it onto a serving dish. Peel the aluminum foil off the top of the cake. If any of the custard sticks to the foil, simply spread it back onto the cake with a knife. Cool completely to room temperature.
5. Top the cake with orange segments just before serving and then cut into wedges and enjoy with a cup of tea.
Additional Cooking Directions for
Slow Cooker Directions
Serves:6
Cooking Time:3 hours on HIGH
1. Pre-heat a 6-quart slow cooker on HIGH for at least 20 minutes. Line the bottom of a 7-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and grease the pan (and the foil) with butter.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until they are light in color and fall from the whisk in thick continuous ribbons. Add the milk, orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Stir in the flour and salt.
3. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture and pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
4. Fill the bottom of the slow cooker with 1 inch of hot water. Place the cake pan into the cooker. (You can use an aluminum foil sling to help with this by taking a long piece of aluminum foil, folding it in half lengthwise twice until it looks like it is about 26-inches by 3-inches. Place this under the cake pan and hold the ends of the foil to move the cake pan into and out of the slow cooker.) Place a clean kitchen towel over the cooker and cover with the lid – the towel will absorb the condensation and prevent it from falling on the cake. Slow cook on HIGH for 3 hours (or 6 hours on LOW).
5. Remove the pan from the cooker and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan before inverting it onto a serving dish. Peel the aluminum foil off the top of the cake. If any of the custard sticks to the foil, simply spread it back onto the cake with a knife. Cool completely to room temperature.
6. Top the cake with orange segments just before serving and then cut into wedges and enjoy with a cup of tea.