Moroccan Orange Cake w/ Candied Oranges
I made a plethora of cookies for a holiday cookie exchange. Although I spent the entire time knowing that I was going to make Moroccan-inspired food! So, I almost wanted to do a Moroccan-spiced cookie to match. Although, I've had a ton of things going on with work and life and the holidays (don't we all??) and absolutely never ended up making something that would work. Which is almost a good thing because now I get to try my hand at a Moroccan Orange Cake.
I greatly enjoy cheesecakes. I make one for either my Birthday or Christmas almost every year. But I'm not the biggest cake person! I'm honestly just not the biggest sweets person. If there's an option between sweet and savory? I'm almost always going to pick savory. Although I'm exploring my cake-making abilities today and trying my hand at Moroccan Orange Cake. With the idea of maybe cardamom cookies if it doesn't work out...
I'm pleasantly surprised to say that this Moroccan Orange Cake from Taste of Moroc is absolutely delicious and a fairly simple cake to make. I ended up topping it with Candied Oranges. I would have maybe done an orange simple syrup drizzle had I had the forethought to get a couple more oranges. This cake worked surprisingly well, though, and I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks that they cannot make cake.
Do You Need a Bundt Pan?
I used a tube pan because it was on sale for a couple of dollars at the grocery store a few months back and I didn't have a bundt pan. They're incredibly similar, though. Bundt pans are enclosed and have curved sides, while tube pans are straight and have a removable core. Tube pans are more meant for angel food cake, which is light and airy. Although you can use them interchangeable as long as you don't use too wet of a batter that would seep through the two separate pieces. You could also make this in a simple cake pan. It wouldn't bake quite the same. But it would be close enough to still work, if you don't have or don't want to brave the world of bundt pans.
Gallery
Variations of Moroccan Orange Cake
I honestly don't make cakes that much. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth. I actually intended to blog a cake recipe a couple of years ago and then never wrote down the recipe! But I am a fan of cheesecake. So, for something slightly similar to cake: cheesecake. I also made a couple of fun cookies for a holiday cookie exchange this year, too.
Moroccan Orange Cake w/ Candied Oranges
Equipment
- Zester
- Bundt Pan (or tube pan)
- Whisk (or mixer)
- Oven
Ingredients
Moroccan Orange Cake
- 4 eggs
- 1½ c. sugar granulated
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 2 c. all-purpose flour (plus extra for coating pan)
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. orange juice (~1½ oranges)
- 2 tsp. orange zest (~1 orange)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Candied Orange Slices
- 4 slices orange
- 1 c. sugar granulated
- 1 c. water
- 2 tbsp. orange juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
Moroccan Orange Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease and flour the cake pan.
- Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thick.You can do this by hand with a whisk or with a handheld or standing mixer. It'll take about 5-7 minutes by hand and 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Gradually whisk in oil a couple of tablespoons at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt. Do not overmix at this point!
- Gently stir in orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cake has set.You should be able to poke a toothpick into the center and have it just about come out cleanly (you're looking for that point where it's not wet, but also doesn't come out completely clean, which can be an indicator that it's over baked!)
- Gently remove from the cake form and let cool to the touch.
Candied Orange Slices
- Slice the oranges to 1/8th-inch thick, or as thinly as you can evenly cut them.
- Add the sugar, water, and orange juice to a saucepan. Stir constantly and bring to a simmer.
- After the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup has begun to simmer, add the orange slices.
- Continue to simmer the orange slices for at least 15 minutes. Making sure to rotate at least once during the cooking process.You can simmer the oranges anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more. I tend to simmer mine for about 30 minutes and use them as a garnish. Although you can simmer them for longer if you want more crystallization on the oranges. If you simmer them down for long enough, they'll become edible. I don't necessarily want to eat orange rinds and use these more as a garnish in most scenarios. This is possible, though! And, if you have enough patience, is a viable option.
- The sugar water leftover is also ostensibly how you make simple syrup. So, if you simmer the oranges for lesser amount of time or add more sugar and water to the mixture. You can drizzle this over the cake or use it to make a complimentary cocktail.
- Arranging the candied oranges on the cake is all a matter of personal preference. You can place them anywhere you like. Personally, I cut a little slice halfway through the orange slice and then fan out each ends just created in opposite directions. This creates that swirl effect. Although you can do whatever you like with them!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- This recipe didn't specify what kind of flour. When it doesn't state the exact type, I default to all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, etcetera. Since this is a cake, you can likely use pastry flour or cake flour for this. Although, it was perfectly
This recipe is adapted from Taste of Moroc's Moroccan Orange Cake Recipe – Meskouta with Oranges.
Leave a Reply