Spiced orange cakes

Cakes (my husband, not food) bought me a great little baking pan for Christmas. Well, let me rephrase that. I saw the great little baking pan while I was out shopping for Christmas presents, and bought it for Cakes to give me for Christmas because I couldn't justify buying it for myself. Does that sound dysfunctional to you? Oh well. I got the baking pan I'd been coveting for eons. In case you're wondering, it's this one.

Anyway, I dug it out this weekend for a little recreational baking. I had been ruminating inexplicably on pound cake for about a week. Lord only knows why - I've never made a pound cake in my life. Well. Now I have. Dead easy too. You see how the pan makes six adorable little florally cakes? Cakes ate all six cakes. I got the rounded tops that got cut off to make the cakes sit flat. This batter has a really nice clean orangey-spicey flavour. It's so flavourful that it doesn't need much in a way of icing. Which is why I used a thin layer of fondant.

For six small (250 ml) cakes:

• 3 large eggs (about 250 gm)
• 250 gm flour
• 250 gm butter (melted, but not hot)
• 250 gm sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 ml orange peel (all traces of pith removed), chopped very fine
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons orange liquer

Cream together sugar and eggs until fluffy. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased pan and bake at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes - until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean.

For the fondant icing:

• 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 Tablespoons orange liquer
• colour
• drop or two of glycerin

Combine all ingedients, except colour, in a small saucepan on the stove. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring, for a few minutes until it becomes smooth and syrupy. Do not allow fondant to boil. Colour fondant as desired and add glycerin.

Place cakes on a baking rack over a sheet of waxed paper. Spoon warm fondant over cakes and allow to extra to drip down onto the waxed paper. As fondant cools, it will become hard to the touch.

I totally misjudged how much "sky blue" Wilton colour paste to put in so my blue cakes, rather than being a nice pale blue are rather shocking and unnatural looking. They tasted great though. So I hear.

Comments

[Stephanie]

I so totally want that pan!! I've had my eye on it for ages...perhaps I should buy it for Matt to give as an anniversary gift (closest gift-giving event)?!

You really have to be careful with Wilton colors; it's easy to end up with too light or too dark a color.

It's equally easy to end up with multi-colored fingers, too...

[Rachael]

You didnt even get to eat the little wedge you cut out for the picture? YIKES!

They are supremely lovely. Thanks for the ideas, and I hope to see more fun things from that darling pan!

[Kathy]

you are my hero.

[Fran]

These are the cutest things I've seen! I want that. Your recipe sounds wonderful and I have been wanting to make orange cake. Thanks.

[Tom]

Hi. This is the most beautiful site I've seen in a while. And since my New Years resolution is to learn how to cook I will be here daily. Referring back to the rice pudding: my grandmother made rice pudding that I thought cooked all day long, in a big heavy (4" high and 12" oval) pan something called Guardian ware. Probably not made any more...It had almost a crust when it was done. So one new meal a week starting with rice pudding. Thanks for your effort and Happy New Year!

[sailu]

Those look simple irresistable!

[mireille]

I think I would be walking around all disgruntled that I didn't get a whole cake. To myself. xoxo

[Tanna]

You know I really don't need ideas like this. I'll probably find myself awake at two am thinking about your little cakes. The only thing that will save me from myself will be that my kitchen (and oven) are draped in plastic while things are repaired after our flood. Great post and beautiful pictures!
Thanks