Monday, August 5, 2013

Orange Cake Recipe and a Bit of Art Deco


Scroll Down for the Orange Cake Recipe
Recently I graduated from a 6 month free weight loss course offered by the NSW State Government.  It basically consisted of goal setting and some phone counselling on a 2-3 weekly basis, with a lovely girl named Kelly.

It was good, because I knew I had to do the right thing, as I had to answer to Kelly every few weeks.

The goals I set were to lose the final 5kg to get me to pre baby weight and reduce my waist measurement to low risk for stroke and heart attack.  I lost 2 kg and reduced my waist measurement from 87cm to 83cm.  Both short of my goals, but I am still moving in the right direction and will definitely get there eventually.  I am determined to be the weight I was pre baby number one, before the Divine Miss M dawns on me.



As a graduation present Kelly sent me a cook book called Healthy Fast Food. I do love a cook book.  Whether it's Gwynth Paltrow's latest offering or a scrapbook I have been putting together with clippings from thousands of magazines and newspapers collected over the years, I love reading them and finding new recipes to try which are easy, but with a little bit of wow factor.


It is orange season and as you already know, I have a constant supply of organics from mum's tree.  As a hater of waste, I have been supplying the neighborhood, the soccer team and cooking them up in all manor of ways to use them and I thought this healthy orange cake was worth sharing.

It has no butter, but some extra virgin olive oil instead.  It was quite moist and very tasty, despite the lower amount of sugar than usual.  I made it before soccer and we returned to cooled in the tin orange cake for morning tea on a chilly Saturday morning.  I love it when we are playing down the end of the street.  So much better than driving across town for 50 minutes on alternate weeks.


I also thought I'd show you the lovely art deco lines of my grandmother's coffee canister.


Those geometric lines are even evident in her teaspoons as well.


Orange Cake Recipe
Olive Oil Spray
2 Cups self raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 Cup sultanas
Rind of 2 oranges grated
2/3 Cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 eggs
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/375F
Lightly spray a loaf tin with olive oil and line with baking paper.
Combine flour, sugar and sultanas in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl mix the remaining ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.
 Pour into the prepared tin.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked and golden.
Cool in the tin for 20 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

If you would like to ice the cake, whip together 125g or 1/2 a cup of reduced fat ricotta, the rind of 1 small orange grated and 2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange juice.

I didn't get a chance to ice this one as the family ate it before I could.


This was a simple, yet tasty cake which is lower in sugar, low in fat and packed with fruit.  I hope you enjoy it and have a fabulous week.
For all my other baking recipes go here.

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Today I am linked up here
Sunday Showcase
Inspire Me Tuesday
Metamorphosis Monday
Wow Us Wednesday
Transformation Thursday
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Weekend Wrap Up

14 comments :

  1. this is my sort of cake!! I'm loving citrus + baked goods at the moment :)

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  2. well done on the weight loss. i don't know how you manage to lose weight with all the lovely baking you do.
    my mum has those canisters.
    x

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    Replies
    1. Kids eat most of it. I just do a taste test and then try not to have anymore. Doesn't always work but its all real food which helps I think.
      Carolyn

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  3. Oh yummy, I want cake!!! How wonderful this cake with coffee looks. Thanks for the récipe. Have a nice week.
    FABBY

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  4. Oh yum. I am just about to start baking and have you me watering at the mouth to be done already :) x

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  5. Mmmmm, looks really yummy, thanks for sharing!

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  6. I love orange cake one of my favourites.
    Good luck reaching your goal weight ... you can do it!

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  7. I wish I had collected and saved my mom's art deco pieces. I usually make generic cranberry cake but this cake looks delicious.

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  8. Beautiful looking cake Carolyn and congrats on the weight loss. You'll be back to your old self in no time now (even though you do look gorgeous already).

    Anne xx

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  9. This orange cake really looks yummy, and I will be giving it a go tomorrow. Yes, it looks that good and I have all items on hand, YEAH! Thanks for sharing it, we also have our own orange trees and lemons, too. Thanks, again.

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  10. CAke and coffee, there's nothing better than that. Thanks so much for joining Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

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  11. I feel full just by reading this post. I love the simplicity of your cooking. I've always been fond of getting tips and ideas from others just like your post. I've tried cooking those that I've eaten from my favourite party catering. Now, thanks to your post, I'm equipped with more recipes.

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  12. Coincidence, I made a simple orange cake today. It's proving not simple to stop eating it. Love the container, reminds me of my own granny.

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