Orange Cake

I've followed him for weeks, I've been making eyes at him, I kept smiling at him while drinking his coffee, and in the end I've made it! The owner of the coffee shop near my work finally forked out the recipe of those little round cheese breads that I'd never been able to decipher. I then found out that Pao de Queijo is a Brazilian specialty, eaten as a snack or with coffee.
And what does this have to do with the post? The thing is, while I was busy copying the recipe of Pao de Queijo, handwritten on a Post-It stuck on the wall behind the cash register, my eyes fell inadvertently...ehm...more or less inadvertently on a series of ingredients listed under the words Orange Cake.
And while I haven't been able to make the cheese rolls yet (you have to use special tapioca flour, which - believe it or not - I still don't have...), for this cake I din't have to think twice. Quick, simple and all in all pretty light as well. Et voila'.


Orange Cake
for a 9" diameter pan

organic orange, large 1
sugar 250 gr.
eggs, room temperature 4
vegetable oil 100 gr.
water 50 gr.
flour 225 gr.
baking powder 1/4 teaspoon
baking soda 3/4 teaspoon
salt a pinch
powdered sugar for dusting to taste

Puree orange in a food processor (the whole thing, with the skin, yes, yes, for this cake nothing gets wasted, and obviously the orange must be organic). In a large bowl beat egg yolks with sugar until you light and smooth, add oil, water, pureed orange and salt. Mix well, then add flour sifted with baking powder and baking soda, and stir well. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and then fold them gently in the batter. Pour everything in the cake pan, properly buttered and floured, and bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. Let the cake cool off, then dust it with powdered sugar.