Thea Sophie’s Orange Bundt Cake

You know the kind of recipes that get passed down to you by a family member and you know that it’s going to be awesome because they have been making it for years and years? Well, this is one of those recipes and one of those cakes that will have you coming back for thirds, I kid you not. This cake recipe is from my Thea Sophie (Thea means Aunty in Greek) and I’m not sure what she calls it, but I refer to it as Thea Sophie’s Orange Bundt Cake That Will Have You Getting Up In The Middle Of The Night To Have Another Slice. Ok, so the name is a bit long but I’m telling you now that if you make it, it will become a family favourite that you will revisit time and time again.

This recipe is the 8th one that I’m including in my Royal Baking Powder series and it’s also pretty apt that I share it today seeing as it’s World Egg Day and one of the main ingredients that make this cake as awesomely light as it is, is the fact that it has eight eggs in it.

This cake calls for a bundt tin and I don’t know about you guys, but if you’re anything like me but this type of tin scares me a little because you never know if your cake is going to stick to it like blackjacks to a homemade woollen jersey, or if it’s going to pop right out like a Jack in the box. I will share how I greased my tin and got my cake out in one piece, but if anyone has any other fail-proof tips on how to beat the bundt tin, then please leave them below.

Before I move onto the ingredients, here are the links to the previous recipes that I have shared. Hopefully, some of them have made it into your kitchen 🙂

Pecan Nut, Chocolate and Maple Syrup Layer Cake

Roosterkoek

Raspberry, Custard and Maple Syrup Cupcakes

Cinnamon and Sugar doughnuts 

Peanut Butter And Chocolate Pancakes

Scones with Vanilla Pouring Cream and Apricot Jam

Morish Butter Cookies with Speckled Eggs 

 

INGREDIENTS: 

· 1 and 1/2 cups sugar

· 8 eggs

· 1 tsp cream of tartar

· 1/2 cup oil

· 2 cups flour

· 3 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder

· 1 cup orange juice

FOR THE GLAZE:

· 4 teaspoons icing sugar

· A splash of orange juice

 

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180° then grease your bundt tin with a bit of butter, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies then add a  bit of flour, sprinkling it evenly around the pan. Once the pan is completely covered in flour turn it upside down and using the palm your hand knock the side of the tin to get all the excess flour out. Set it aside.
2. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two different bowls.
3. Make sure the bowl you put your egg whites in is really clean. Add the cream of tartar to the whites and then beat them using an electric whisk on high until they are nice and stiff. Set aside.
4. In the bowl containing the egg yolks, add the sugar and oil and then mix on a medium speed until well combined.
5. Then add the sifted flour, Royal Baking Powder and orange juice and mix well.
6. Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the mixture using a spatula. Your mixture should be light and full of volume. Pour it into your tin, filling it 3/4 of the way up.
7. Bake for 25-30 odd minutes, depending on your oven. Mine is fan-assisted so I baked it for about 25 minutes or so.
8. Take your cake out of the oven and insert a sharp knife into the centre to make sure it is cooked through. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the tin on a cooling rack. At this point I then gently go around the sides with a butter knife to loosen it a bit, I push it as far down as it will go without compromising the cake.
9. Then using oven mitts turn the tin upside down onto the cooling rack and let it cool for a further 10 minutes, I tap mine on the sides and on the top to once again help loosen it. I then let it cool for a while longer before lifting the tin and taking the cake out to cool completely.
10. Mix the icing sugar and orange juice in a cup to make a glaze and then once the cake has cooled lightly drizzle it on top. I also dust a bit of extra icing sugar on top for good measure.