old fashioned orange sponge

It's been a bumper weekend of baking here at retro mummy. Retro daddy had to go to melbourne for work and a black tie function and that left me and the little ones here at home. I think I lost myself in the kitchen and loved it. I did have a purpose, it wasn't just to take a break from my diet. We had wanted to do something for my dad's birthday and he didn't want a fuss so we did a little brunch.

 I do wonder what I'd do without my lovely dining table for photos - it is worth evey cent.

Those of you who have a Thermomix know that there is a great orange sponge cake recipe in the everyday cooking book that comes with your machine. Only thing is that it has a whopping 250g butter in each cake. Great for special occasions but not so healthy for everyday baking. So I found an old fashioned recipe for orange cake and got it going in the Thermomix. The result is a delicious and light orange cake that uses just 50g butter. Which would you prefer - I know I'll take the 50g version anyday.

 

 

 

what you'll need

1 orange - zest and juice

1/2 Cup sugar

50g unsalted butter

1Tbsp vanilla extract/essence

1 egg

1 Cup self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

extra sugar to sprinkle on top

 

Thermomix instructions

Slice rind from the orange and place rind in your TM bowl with the sugar (I use raw sugar) and process for 10 seconds on speed 9.  

 

 

Add in softened butter and process for 20 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for another 5 seconds on speed 4. If your mixture is not looking creamy just do another 5-10 seconds on speed 4. Add in egg and process for 20 seconds on speed 4 with a scrape down of the bowl in between. You do need to stop your machine to do this:). Add orange juice and process 10 seconds, speed 4

 

 

Add in sifted flour and baking powder. Process for 20 seconds on speed 4.

 

 

Pour into a lined round cake tin (something small about 20cm is good as this is not a huge cake mix) and sprinkle sugar (I used raw sugar) over the top. About 1 to 2 Tablespoons is good. Bake for about 25 minutes in a 180 degrees oven. Pop a skewer in the centre to test it's cooked.

 

 

Cool the cake on a cooling rack, slice and enjoy. This was really delicious and the sugar on top makes the top of the cake deliciously crispy so that you don't need any icing. It was a hit with everyone and makes for a great morning or afternoon tea. If you prefer lemon cake just use a lemon instead of an orange.

 

 

And the birthday boy got my coffee machine up and running. Wow, such a good coffee and froth with skim milk. I paid no attention to what he did but he has written me up a guide to using it so I think I'll be having homemade cappuccinos more often.

 

 

And that was my sunday morning! As soon as retro daddy gets home I'll be going off for my little afternoon run.........a few too many jam drops and pieces of cake.