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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Orange-Almond Olive Oil Cake (using Sunkist Valencia Oranges)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunkist. All opinions are 100% mine.
Have you ever wondered why Valencia oranges sometimes look like they are not yet ripe?  You see them in the store and maybe you even pass them by because the peels are still tinged with green.  I mean, those naval oranges sitting right next to them are fully orange, so you toss those in the cart instead.  Well, I admit that I used to do that.  Key words: USED TO!!  I recently found out that Sunkist Valencia Oranges go through a natural process called re-greening.  Valencia Oranges, also know as Summer Oranges may occasionally "re-green" in warm weather. 
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Valencias ripen on the tree and turn bright orange, but when temperatures begin to warm up, their skin reabsorbs chlorophyll as they hang on the tree and cause the orange to look partly green.  This has absolutely no effect on the inside of the orange, though.  The fruit remains ripe, juicy and oh-so-delicious.  If you like, you can check out this Sunkist Valencia Oranges Re-greening Video.  So, I tend to agree with the saying that Green is Good when it comes to Sunkist Valencia Oranges.  While I still like naval, mandarin, blood, or any variety of orange, actually...Valencia's have fantastic flavor for juicing and eating out of hand, as snacks.  If you want to squeeze your Valencia's for juice the night before, simply squeeze the juice, cover tightly and chill overnight.  If done like this, no loss of flavor or Vitamin C will occur.  Add a ½ cup of juice and a ½ cup of diced orange to a blender and add some fresh fruit, and/or berries and a ½ cup of yogurt and you've got a nutrition-packed way to start your day.  A great idea for snacking is to cut the Valencia's into "smiles" by cutting in half crosswise and then cutting 3 or 4 wedges from each half.  What kid (of any age) doesn't love sticking an orange wedge in their mouth and pretending it's their smile?
I wanted to create a recipe using the sweet citrus flavors of Sunkist Valencia Oranges, and this moist Orange-Almond Olive Oil Cake, that is perfect with a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, is what I came up with.

Orange-Almond Olive Oil Cake
an original from the kitchen of girlichef
serves: ~10


cake:
240 grams (8.5 oz. / ~2 c.) cake flour
141 grams (5 oz. / ~1¼ c.) finely ground almond meal/flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. fine sea salt
322 grams (11.4 oz. / 1½ c.) superfine sugar
½ c. (4 floz. / 102 g) olive oil
½ c. (4 floz. / 119 g) almond milk
finely grated zest of 2 oranges (~1 Tbs.)
¼ c. (2 floz. / 60g) freshly squeezed Valencia Orange juice
½ tsp. almond emulsion or extract
¼ tsp. orange extract
3 eggs

glaze:
127 grams (1 c. / 4.5 oz.) powdered sugar
1-2 Tbs. (15-30 g / .5-1 floz.) freshly squeezed Valencia Orange juice

garnish:
peeled, blanched Almonds (whole, sliced, or slivered), optional
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Grease a 10" x 4¼" tube pan (or a bundt pan) and flour lightly.

for cake:
Combine cake flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer, at low speed until smooth and well combined, ~1-2 minutes. Add flour mixture and mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan.
Slide into oven and bake for ~45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place entire pan on a wire rack and let cool for ~15 minutes.  Carefully turn cake out of pan, flip right side up again and set it back on the rack to finish cooling.

finishing:
Stir about half of the orange juice into the powdered sugar, add a bit more until smooth and the consistency you want. Drizzle evenly over cooled cake.  Garnish with almonds, if using.
You can find additional Sunkist citrus recipes and ideas by visiting Sunkist.  And remember, when it comes to Sunkist Valencia Oranges, green is good.

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*I am sharing this post with:
Miz-Helen-Badge-ALT5 Sweet Treats Party SweetToothFriday sweets for a saturday

Would you like to comment?

  1. How crumble and lovely that slice is! Need to check in for these oranges here. Almond milk, olive oil..this must be a bake to treasure, Heather.

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  2. Thats yummy cake,luks so tempting...

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  3. Wow does that look yummy. I love orange things in the summer. Just perfect for this time of year. Come on over and check our recipe out today. It is a great summer chilled soup. If you make a comment on the post, you may get a surprise visit from the Fairy Hobmother. A wish granted!

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  4. Que delicia, te ha quedado estupendo.

    SAludos

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  5. Your cake is beautiful Heather and sounds delicious. I made an olive oil bread quick bread once, but never a cake. I would really like to try this, I bet the orange and the almond together is heavenly.

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  6. Wow, what a great presentation H :)

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  7. Well I guess you do learn something new every day cause I never knew that about Valencia oranges! Now I'll know..can't wait to try one! Orange and olive oil are such a quintessential pairing, I imagine this cake was quite fabulous!

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  8. The orange cake looks so light, moist, and fresh!

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  9. Cake looks extremely moist, super spongy and incredible..

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  10. Great use of one of my favorite fruits! I love olive oil-based cakes, too. Beautifully done.

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  11. that looks really good. I am swithering between wanting one of those oranges and wanting a slice of cake. Oh heck, I would love both together right now!

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  12. Love cakes made with olive oil--makes me feel like I'm eating something healthy. Your cake looks divine. Sure wish I had a slice. Thanks for the education about Valencias.

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  13. yum yum. :) Looks delicious. You are a grand chef, baker, cook...you name it. Good work!

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  14. What a beautiful and stunning cake!!! Simply a work of art.

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  15. You sold me on the oranges as soon as I saw coffee! The cake looks moister than moistness and I want a slice right now!

    Please...

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  16. Hi Heather,
    I just love oranges and really enjoy cooking with them they always give a very special flavor. Your cake looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. Thank you for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and come back soon. Have a great week end!
    Miz Helen

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  17. This looks like the perfect cake for summer. Light and citrusy. ;-)

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  18. I've never heard of re-greening!  That's good to know...I thought they would be under-ripe as well.  I have only had olive oil flavored bread once, and it was at a baked donut place in LA called Fonuts.  It's soooo good!  Another place I know of has olive oil pancakes that are supposed to be unbelievable, I can't wait to try this recipe out.  The orange essence is probably incredible, my chef friend made orange infused whipped cream for Thanksgiving that was so good I wanted to eat it straight out of the tub!

    -Rosie

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