Whole Orange Cake

I've made orange cake many times here, but this recipe is by far the most novel way I have ever used an orange, on this blog and in my life. The name of this cake, Whole Orange Cake, does not lie- it features the whole orange, pith and all. I'm not sure who invented this cake, but they were probably a thrifty lot who didnt like the idea of waste. In any case, this intensely orange cake was very successful. Firstly, the smell of it is just divine and the color is a beautiful yellow flecked with bits of orange. The only person who detected any after taste of bitterness was the one person who knew how this cake was made. No one else was the wiser, so I'm pretty sure that had she not known, she wouldn't have noticed the bitterness. This cake comes together really easily, with the help of your food processor for the orange part. I omitted the poppy seeds from the cake, although I imagine they add great visual pop, so add them if you're so inclined. I also omitted the optional glaze, I think the cake was intensely flavored enough. Also, make sure you give the cake all it's due in the oven, mine was raw in the middle and consequently the cake fell. I cut around it to salvage it so it was fine, but a whole cake would have been nicer.

Whole Orange Cake
adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

1 whole orange, washed and stem end cut off
1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs
1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine, melted

Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Cut the orange into eighths and place them in the bowl of your food processor with half a cup of sugar. 

Process until pureed. You may not get all of the little bits, that's okay.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Place the eggs and remaining half cup sugar in a bowl.

Whisk until smooth.

Add the pureed orange,

and blend.

Add the margarine and blend.

Add the dry ingredients,

and blend to make a cohesive batter.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan,

and bake for about an hour, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Rotate the pan half way through the bake. Cool the cake for twenty minutes in its pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Don't skip this step!!