Saturday, July 30, 2011

Baked Sunday Mornings: Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt

MOIST AND DELICIOUS --A LIGHT SUMMERY CAKE
Every time I bake a bundt cake I am reminded of the “bundt” in the movie,  My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I start thinking about ways to fill up the hole in the middle...can’t get it out of my mind even though it has been a year or two since I last watched the flick.  When bundts hit the table, my funny kids start acting out the movie segment and we laugh again.

MY NEW PAN WORKS WELL, AND SO DOES THIS RECIPE
I know bakers who are frightened of bundts because sometimes they don’t come cleanly out of their pans, but instead  fall out in half or without their some of their pretty top.  It’s one of those things like pie crusts, which really are not hard, but many bakers are scared of them.  I remember baking as a youngster with my mom, and we would be to the point of getting the bundt out of the pan and it was always a question, “Will we continue with our serious lack of success with unmolding this bundt?”  The pans were so pretty, but back then they were not made like the quality molds available today.  Even with oiling and flouring the pans, an occasional total success was a surprise.

I had picked up a new bundt pan with a classic, pretty shape, and for the first use,  I wondered how the pan would perform.  The old memories return as I use a pan for the first time.  But with all the wonderful finishes on pans these days, no worries were necessary.  The pan was terrific and so is the recipe.

THESE GREEN ARE ACTUALLY ORANGE ORANGES
This evening’s family-dinner-get-together was special.  It was “good-bye” to kids going off to medical school later this week; moving further away from home, which always tugs on my mother heart.  Son #2 and wife are moving only a 2 hour drive down to U of A in Tucson, but since they’ve only lived a mile away for all their university years,  it seems like they are going across the country.  

Son #2 and wife were both working toward medical school, but with different goals, when reality hit last Christmas break that they probably would not be seeing much of each other over the next 4 to 8 years, and even worse, the odds of them both being accepted into the same medical school were slim.  

Wife of #2 Son has had her life focused on becoming a doctor since childhood and she would not be happy compromising  her dreams.  At the end of high school, she won a four year academic scholarship to ASU.  For AZ state schools, scholarships are no longer available to our bright young students as a reward for years of hard work.  The state has teetered on bankruptcy for several years due to the spending habits of our previous governor. 

Son #2 has many interests and can be happy doing lots of things, so he made a drastic shift and has been accepted into the same university as wife... into a specialized photography and arts area of study that accepts only 30 students into their 4-years-beyond-university-graduation program...quite a change from all the sciences, math and lab work.  Photography and the arts have been a hobby for years.  He always has the latest equipment and actually knows how to use all the settings and extras, unlike me...I am still figuring out my I-pod while others have moved on to “pads”, and I’ll hang onto my old phone, which I’ll never know how to properly use, until it dies.  He has had his photos in magazines such as “Sunset Magazine”, has done advertising work for the Phoenix Police Department, etc...and he is very good at all the high tech computerized photography work, so that is his new focus.  I’ve often tried to talk him into taking pics of my cooking, but without success...he just likes to eat it.

We are proud of them both and to celebrate with them I made a special family dinner with the Bundt as our dessert.  It is delicious!

I had sour cream in my fridge and chose to use it in place of plain yogurt.  I added an extra ½ cup of sugar to compensate for the “sour” and to adjust for the extra fat in the “cream.”   Sugar holds moisture, and this cake was wonderfully moist.  

CAN'T GET FRESHER THAN THIS
We have a few straggler oranges still hanging on our trees so I picked a couple that have been shaded up inside a tree and never kissed by our strong Arizona sun.  Because of this they are still green, yet they are ripe and very juicy.  

When one zests a freshly picked orange the entire house is filled with the perfume from the orange oils that are released during the process.  It was such a delicious fragrance and it permeated the cake, making it extra scrumptious.  The cake took 40 minutes to bake, then I let it rest, or cool, for 10 minutes, and then it came out of the pan perfectly.  The recipe and pan are both keepers.

While the cake was just a little warm I made a glaze using the juice from the zested oranges and confectioner’s sugar.  The recipe suggests either a dusting of powdered sugar, which is preferred, or the glaze which may be too sweet with this sweet cake.  But I don’t have anything against sugar...keeps me happy.

OLIVE OIL INSTEAD OF VEGE OIL OR BUTTER IS UNUSUAL TO SOME
The recipe also suggests a special brand of olive oil.  However, I used what I have and it was very mellow and did not have any noticeable flavor in this recipe.  The sweet orange oils from the zest were the strongest flavor followed by the vanilla.  (I found myself actually telling my family that this cake is healthy...not make with butter, just healthy olive oil...ha!  Who am I trying to kid?)

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN
Hubby especially enjoyed the cake and commented several times on how good it is.  All the family likes the cake, but if Hubby is happy, that’s really what’s most important.

This citrusy cake would go well with berries or fresh peaches and a dab of whipped cream.  It would be fun to dress it up next time, and at the rate that everyone around here is enjoying it, I will bake this cake again soon.  Note to myself:  This recipe would also make fun mini bundt sizes.

PROBABLY TOO MUCH GLAZE, BUT THE FAMILY LIKES TO SPOON ON MORE FROM THE MIDDLE

16 comments:

  1. Beautifully done, Kris! And I love the shape of your new bundt pan! My glaze wasn't as pretty as yours, but I have a feeling I added too much orange juice!

    I had totally forgotten about that scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"! What a riot!

    Enjoy your Sunday!

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  2. Yours looks beautiful with and without the glaze. A very good cake, I would say. I had better go and post mine.

    Chaya http://sweetsav.blogspot.com

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  3. Beautiful cake! I loved this one and sold it as a healthy cake too!

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  4. How funny! That's the first thing my son said when he saw the bundts is that it reminded him of My Big Fat Greek Wedding! :) I love your bundt shape. It is a perfect shape to use with the glaze.

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  5. You are a wonderful story teller and your cake is great too!

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  6. I'm so glad that you put the glaze on the cake! I was hoping to see it on someone's. It looks really enjoyable!

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  7. Your new bundt pan is very pretty! And it makes for a wonderful-looking cake. Nicely done.

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  8. love your last pic :) your cake (and the glaze) looks delicious!

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  9. Your cake looks fantastic! And, what a pretty mold!

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  10. What a great read. Best of luck to your son and his wife's academic endeavours! Your cake looks gorgeous. I didn't know unmolding can be so nervewrecking!

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  11. What a great post! Your bundt looks delicious... great job :)

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  12. I am so jealous of your fresh orange supply... I can only imagine how delicious your orange bundt was! Beautiful cake!

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  13. Ohhh....your cake turned out great! Beautiful job! I agree--this one would make fantastic mini bundts!! Thanks so much for your kind words on my blog...much appreciated! Have a great week! xo

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  14. i just used costco brand EVOO and it turned out great. think i'll break down and try the glaze next time. :)

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  15. Love the way the healthy glaze drizzles temptingly down the sides of the bundt. Like your family, every time I see bundt cake, that hilarious movie scene flashes in my mind...Bundt,BundTTT! LOL. Thanks for sharing more about your life and your kids, we all face these challenges in life sometimes.

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  16. An olive oil cake to die for! Yes, bring on the glaze and the citrusy flavor! Your bundt pan is gorgeous;-)

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