Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake
If you’re in need of a refreshing summer bundt cake, look no further. This Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake is it.
This is a super-easy cake to make. The ingredients are minimal. It doesn’t make a massive cake. The oranges get used in the cake and in the glaze, so nothing is likely to go to waste.
I love that the orange makes the cake look orange AND taste orange. There is something aesthetically pleasing about that. No surprises, no fake-outs. Orange cake tastes like orange. Got it.
If you have any leftovers, no worries. I found that the cake freezes wonderfully, even glazed. Freeze those extra slices the first day and they’ll taste fresh when you thaw them later!
Modified from Food & Wine September 2020 issue.
Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake
Equipment
- small bundt cake pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 large oranges zested and juiced
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 teaspoons orange juice
- orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a baking spray with flour (or alternatively, some extra vegetable oil and flour) to coat the interior of the bundt pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, 2 Tablespoons of orange zest (the rest reserved for the glaze), and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat together sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs on high speed until it becomes quite pale, about a minute and a half. Add 1 1/4 cups orange juice, beating until combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, scraping bottom of bowl as needed.
- Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool for about 20 minutes, then invert it onto a rack to completely cool, speeding the process in the fridge if desired.
- Make the glaze. Measure out the sugar. Add orange juice and any remaining zest. If mixture is thick, add a touch more juice; if runny, add more sugar. It should be a thick texture as it is drizzled on the cake. Let glazed cake set at least 30 minutes at room temperature or in fridge before slicing in.
- Cake is great kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be sliced and frozen, glaze and all, and makes for a delicious treat even weeks later.
OM NOM NOM!
CoKoCon is this coming weekend!
Note that this is updated from the previous post several weeks ago. I now have a signing on Sunday afternoon.
I’m attending my first in-person convention in about three years this Labor Day weekend. CoKoCon is a small con in the Phoenix area. This year, it’s at a new location at the DoubleTree in Tempe. I’ll be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday morning. Feel free to talk, ask to have books signed (which I’ll gladly do unless I’m on the run to a panel!), and generally hang out. I’ll be in a black mask, channeling my old favorite Mortal Kombat ninjas.
Panels are always subject to change; I’ll post any updates via Twitter and Facebook.
Friday, September 2
4:30pm Writing on the Spectrum
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Neurodiverse writers talk about how their unique filter on the world impacts their writing and about neurodiverse representation in books.
Saturday, September 3
10am Beth & Mike’s Book Club: The City We Became
Coronado, 10am – 11am
Michael Senft, who runs the Sci-Fridays Book Club at the Poisoned Pen, and Nebula Award®-nominated author, Beth Cato, will be leading a discussion on The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. Read or listen to it ahead of the event or come in blind, but beware of spoilers!
6pm Writing Speculative Poetry
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
Join our award-winning poets as they discuss the craft and market for speculative poetry, and maybe even share some of their own award-winning work!
Sunday, September 4
1pm Literary Charcuterie
Coronado, 1pm – 2pm
Let’s talk about the glories of food in literature and reality and inspire everyone to scamper for the nearest cheese shop (and there are several near the hotel!)
2:30pm Signing: Beth Cato
Dealers’ Room, 2:30pm – 3:30pm
6pm Author Self-Care: Not Post-COVID Yet
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
We’re back in person, but are we really back to normal? This popular panel returns in a world that still hasn’t gotten through the COVID times.
7:30pm Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
What is the proper proportion of facts with fiction when writing historical fantasy? What resources the perils and joys of research.
Read MoreBready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake
I love frosting, so take it on my authority that this Marble Sheet Cake is delicious without need of any frosting on top. Plus, enjoying the cake in naked or near-naked form with just a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar on top reveals that beautiful marbling to the world.
That marbling is delicious stuff, too. The base batter is vanilla-flavored, with the other portion including cocoa powder and additional goodness.
The texture of the cake is tender and soft. Since there’s no need for frosting, this is a good travel cake. When I made this for my husband to take to work, I individually wrapped pieces to-go in a plastic bin. They made the journey without issue.
Modified from One Bowl Baking Special Issue from Bake from Scratch.
Bready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Vanilla batter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Cocoa batter
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Topping, optional
- 2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, pour in milk, butter, and vanilla, stopping a few times to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Batter should be smooth.
- Measure out about 3 cups of the vanilla batter and pour it into the pan. Add the remaining three ingredients to the bowl, mixing until smooth. Dollop heaping spoonfuls of the cocoa batter onto the vanilla. Use a butter knife to swirl the colors to create a marbled effect. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to knock air bubbles free.
- Bake for about 35 minutes. The middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Use foil to lift the cake onto a cutting board for easy slicing. Sprinkle on confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Store in a sealed container.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars
These Peach-Almond Bars are peachy-keen, if you ask me! They aren’t super sweet and they really let the flavors of the fruit shine through.
I don’t do a lot with peaches because I live in Arizona and the peaches available here are not the best. There are a lot of things I miss about Central California, and the fresh fruit is a big one. (Oh, don’t start my yearning for strawberries…)
The good news is, you don’t need ripe or especially sweet peaches for this recipe because you add a touch of sugar and cook down the fruit. Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a British ingredient that can be found in the import section of a lot of grocery stores; there is no exact American substitute, but a mix of half light corn syrup and half honey is one I have seen in recipes more than once.
These bars are a pleasant mix of softness, crispness, peachiness, and crunchy almonds. Not only would they make for a good dessert or snack, but a fine breakfast as well.
Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Peaches
- 6 small peaches about 4 cups, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
Bars
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour sifted to remove lumps
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply baking spray
- In a medium saucepan, cook the peaches, water, and golden syrup about 15 minutes at a simmer, until peaches are soft. Add corn starch and stir well to bring the liquid together. Let set a few minutes to gel.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the butter until it forms a lumpy dough.
- Press about 2/3 of dough into the prepared pan. Use a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to really compress it. Spread the peach mixture on top. Add clumps of the remaining dough to sporadically cover. Sprinkle almonds on top.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until middle is set, not jiggly, with a golden brown crust across the top. Cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge if desired. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice up. Store in a covered container, with waxed paper between the layers or with bars individually wrapped.
OM NOM NOM!
CoKoCon 2022 Schedule
I’m attending my first in-person convention in about three years this Labor Day weekend. CoKoCon is a small con in the Phoenix area. This year, it’s at a new location at the DoubleTree in Tempe. I’ll be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday morning. Feel free to talk, ask to have books signed (which I’ll gladly do unless I’m on the run to a panel!), and generally hang out. I’ll be in a black mask, channeling my old favorite Mortal Kombat ninjas.
Panels are always subject to change; I’ll post any updates via Twitter and Facebook.
Friday, September 2
4:30pm Writing on the Spectrum
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Neurodiverse writers talk about how their unique filter on the world impacts their writing and about neurodiverse representation in books.
Saturday, September 3
10am Beth & Mike’s Book Club: The City We Became
Coronado, 10am – 11am
Michael Senft, who runs the Sci-Fridays Book Club at the Poisoned Pen, and Nebula Award®-nominated author, Beth Cato, will be leading a discussion on The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. Read or listen to it ahead of the event or come in blind, but beware of spoilers!
6pm Writing Speculative Poetry
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
Join our award-winning poets as they discuss the craft and market for speculative poetry, and maybe even share some of their own award-winning work!
Sunday, September 4
1pm Literary Charcuterie
Coronado, 1pm – 2pm
Let’s talk about the glories of food in literature and reality and inspire everyone to scamper for the nearest cheese shop (and there are several near the hotel!)
6pm Author Self-Care: Not Post-COVID Yet
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
We’re back in person, but are we really back to normal? This popular panel returns in a world that still hasn’t gotten through the COVID times.
7:30pm Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
What is the proper proportion of facts with fiction when writing historical fantasy? What resources the perils and joys of research.
#SFWAPro
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