Description
Moist orange drizzle traybake cake spotlights citrus sunshine from Mediterranean groves. Zesty glaze and tender crumb create a perfect dessert companion for afternoon tea or weekend gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 ml) self-rising flour
- 1 cup (226 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (for drizzle)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
- 2–3 tbsps (30–45 ml) fresh orange juice (for glaze)
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) fresh orange juice
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a rectangular baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring full coverage with overhanging edges for easy extraction.
- Creaming: Utilize an electric mixer to whip butter and sugar into a fluffy, pale mixture, creating a light and airy base for the cake.
- Egg Integration: Methodically add eggs one by one, blending thoroughly to achieve a smooth, uniform consistency.
- Dry Ingredient Incorporation: Delicately sift flour and baking powder over the wet mixture, folding gently to maintain the cake’s delicate texture while preventing overmixing.
- Flavor Infusion: Introduce orange zest, fresh orange juice, milk, and vanilla extract, stirring until ingredients are harmoniously melded without excessive agitation.
- Baking Process: Carefully transfer batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the surface evenly with a spatula, then place in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Doneness Verification: Monitor the cake’s progress, looking for a golden-brown top and confirming readiness by inserting a clean toothpick into the center – it should emerge completely clean. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool completely within the pan before gently lifting out using the parchment paper edges.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Gently fold flour to maintain the cake’s light, tender texture, avoiding tough and dense results.
- Zest Maximization: Use fresh orange zest for intense citrus flavor, carefully scraping only the bright orange part without the bitter white pith.
- Moisture Control: Check cake doneness precisely with the toothpick test, ensuring no raw batter remains to prevent dryness or undercooking.
- Temperature Precision: Allow cake to cool completely in the pan for clean, neat slicing and optimal drizzle absorption without structural breakdown.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg