let me first say that I'm going on vacation. Beginning Wednesday morning, I will be spending the next week first in New Jersey (not vacation), then Montreal. This is my last post, unless I become a street style photographer at the Philly train station, until November 16. I'm looking forward to time away from work and with my best friend/sister...especially since my non-international phone plan means no Twitter, no Facebook, no email, no texting {especially no texting, like a bad habit}, nothing but cafes and museums, bistros and bars starting Thursday mid-morning. That's how we roll :-)
However, boredom without my bestie and a town car to take us to the airport likely mean an overabundance of all of that on Wednesday. I'll just be soaking it all in, as much as possible, until I'm cut off like a junkie. When I get back, though, expect plenty of posts with pictures and food and stories. Until then, I've got orange cake and a story of a very old-fashioned recipe card.
For some reason {maybe because people were taught to cook and bake years ago?}, the family recipe box is littered with recipe cards covered in stains, folded and creased at the edges, and with little instruction. The Reid family Orange Cake recipe is just such a card. Really, that's all that's listed. Ingredients {we're lucky some of them also have amounts}, no temperature, no directions. That is my grandmother's handwriting, and though she was a Reid only by marriage, she was pretty good at following the family recipe formula. For some reason, this cake is usually served with cherry or strawberry Jello (with canned, chunked pineapple inside) altogether in a bowl.
Orange Cake (makes rather a large, dense 9x13 inch cake, easily cut in half)
1 cup butter
1 and 1/3 cup white sugar
half the zest from one orange, finely minced
pinch salt
3 eggs
vanilla
1 cup orange juice (or more)
4 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
dash ground ginger
Orange Cake Icing (not my favorite, but required on this cake by the family)
half the zest from one orange, finely minced
1 tablespoon soft butter
vanilla
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons whole milk (or any milk of your choice), plus more if necessary
many cups of powdered sugar
Cake:
Cream together the butter, zest, sugar, and salt, then add the eggs and vanilla. Then mix in the cup of orange juice. Use one freshly squeezed orange, plus some frozen concentrate, then make up the rest with not-fron-concentrate store bought juice (or all fresh squeezed plus frozen concentrate...the frozen isn't exactly required, but it's quite nice). Add the flour and baking powder, mixing gently. Add more juice or milk to attain a nice cake batter consistency, or add more flour if the mix is too wet. Pour into a sprayed or buttered 9x13 inch glass cake pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour in a 350 degree oven. It will be done when a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then ice.
Icing:
Combine the zest, butter, vanilla, and frozen juice to a paste. Then add the milk (you could also use orange juice here, or a combination of both). Next, begin mixing in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. You will want a smooth but thick icing. If it gets too thick, add a tiny bit of milk. Too thin, more sugar.
Though traditional in the Reid family, Jello on the side is not necessary for this dense and moist cake.
"Be well. Do good work. Keep in touch." - Garrison Keillor
However, boredom without my bestie and a town car to take us to the airport likely mean an overabundance of all of that on Wednesday. I'll just be soaking it all in, as much as possible, until I'm cut off like a junkie. When I get back, though, expect plenty of posts with pictures and food and stories. Until then, I've got orange cake and a story of a very old-fashioned recipe card.
Orange Cake (makes rather a large, dense 9x13 inch cake, easily cut in half)
1 cup butter
1 and 1/3 cup white sugar
half the zest from one orange, finely minced
pinch salt
3 eggs
vanilla
1 cup orange juice (or more)
4 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
dash ground ginger
Orange Cake Icing (not my favorite, but required on this cake by the family)
half the zest from one orange, finely minced
1 tablespoon soft butter
vanilla
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons whole milk (or any milk of your choice), plus more if necessary
many cups of powdered sugar
Cake:
Cream together the butter, zest, sugar, and salt, then add the eggs and vanilla. Then mix in the cup of orange juice. Use one freshly squeezed orange, plus some frozen concentrate, then make up the rest with not-fron-concentrate store bought juice (or all fresh squeezed plus frozen concentrate...the frozen isn't exactly required, but it's quite nice). Add the flour and baking powder, mixing gently. Add more juice or milk to attain a nice cake batter consistency, or add more flour if the mix is too wet. Pour into a sprayed or buttered 9x13 inch glass cake pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour in a 350 degree oven. It will be done when a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then ice.
Icing:
Combine the zest, butter, vanilla, and frozen juice to a paste. Then add the milk (you could also use orange juice here, or a combination of both). Next, begin mixing in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. You will want a smooth but thick icing. If it gets too thick, add a tiny bit of milk. Too thin, more sugar.
Though traditional in the Reid family, Jello on the side is not necessary for this dense and moist cake.
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