Orange Buttermilk cake

      

Ingredients:-

For the cake:-

All purpose flour – 21/2 cups
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Baking powder – 11/4 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Egg – 4 numbers, large, at room temperature
Butter – 200 grams (I had used 100 grams butter + 1/2 cup of canola oil)
Granulated sugar – slightly less than 2 cups
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Orange zest – 1 tbsp
Buttermilk – 11/2 cups, at room temperature

For the orange flavored syrup:-

Sugar – 1/4 cup
Water – 1/4 cup
Orange juice – 1 tbsp.

For the frosting:-
Whipping cream powder – 2 packets
Cold milk – 1 cup
Icing sugar – 3 tbsp
Orange juice – 1 tbsp

For garnish:-
Orange slices – of one orange (optional)

Method:-
Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda & powder. Keep aside.

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Cream together the butter & sugar with your mixer till light & fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla essence, orange zest & beat again.

Now add the sifted flour in 4 additions alternated with the buttermilk, beginning & ending with the flour.

Divide the batter evenly among 2 10″ round cake tins. Bake the cakes at 170C for 30 minutes/ till a skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
For making the sugar syrup combine together 1/4 cup of water & 1/4 cup of sugar. Let boil & cook till the sugar completely dissolves. Let cool completely. Just before assembling the cake add 1 tbsp of orange juice to the syrup & mix.

For making the frosting mix the whipping cream powder with 3 tbsp of icing sugar & cold milk & beat till you get soft peaks. Add the orange juice & mix.

To assemble the cake invert one of the cake layers such that its bottom side is facing you. Prick the cake layer with a fork here & there. Soak the cake in half of the orange flavored syrup. Spread half of the whipping cream on top. Also prick the top of the other cake layer with a fork & soak it with the remaining syrup & place it on the first cake layer. Frost the top & sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
 Garnish the cake with grilled orange slices (Sprinkle the orange slices with 2 tbsp of icing sugar & grill till golden brown).

Refrigerate for at least a day before serving.

Orange Sunshine Pudding

      

This colorful pudding with it’s heavenly combination of dry fruits, peanuts, custard & orange juice tastes so heavenly that you are just gonna love it! This recipe is adapted from one of my favourite programmes,”It’s Really Tasty” anchored by Mrs.Lilly Babu Jose.
Soak 1 tbsp+ 1 tbsp of gelatin each seperately in 1/4 cup of cold water for atleast 15 minutes.

For the first layer powder together 3/4 cup of peeled & roasted peanuts/ cashews/ almonds & 8 marie biscuits. Add 3 tbsps of icing sugar & 2 tbsp of butter to the powdered biscuits & mix well. Transfer the peanut-biscuit mixture to a greased pyrex ware & spread it out evenly in the dish. Bake at 180C in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let this layer cool down to room temperature.

For the custard mix together 11/2 cups of milk, 1 cup of condensed milk & 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil & remove from heat. Stir in 1 part of the soaked gelatin & mix well till combined. Pour half of this custard over the biscuit layer (hold a spoon over the biscuit layer & pour the custard over it) & keep it in the fridge for 1 hour/ till completely set.

For the dry fruits layer cook together 1 cup of chopped dried apricots, 1/2 cup of deseeded & chopped prunes & 1 cup of golden raisins adding 3 tbsp of sugar in 1 cup of water. Cook on low heat till the water completely evaporates. Let cool; spread the cooked dry fruits evenly over the set custard layer. Pour the reamaining custard over this layer & refrigerate further till completely set.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of Orange Juice (I used Tang reconstituted juice) & mix well. Dissolve the other part of the saoked gelatin by holding it over simmering water; add to the juice & mix well. Pour over the custard layer & refrigerate till set. Garnish with chopped amonds/ cashews if you like.