EGGLESS WHOLE WHEAT ORANGE CRANBERRY  CAKE 

The air is sweet with citrus fragrance!
Today I am sharing my one of the favourite tea time cake recipe with you.

Baking is my all time favourite. My family wants a new and exotic cake for every occasion. I am always on the lookout for new recipes everytime I surf through the internet.

I found these blogs for eggless orange cakes naivecookcooks & asmallbite
And tried with whole wheat flour + cranberry for a healthier version and
I nailed it.  The cake was fluffy, soft and yummy. I topped it with sugar glaze for sweetening the taste.

An eggless, butterless orange sponge cake recipe with the only a handful of ingredients, interesting! isn’t it?

You may have the doubt whether this cake would be spongy without the addition of curd, vinegar or egg, but trust me this cake was soooo soft as orange juice is enough to lend the softness.

These oranges are from my farm at my home town.
The key to happiness is when you thankful for the grace that God has given.

Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:35 mins

INGREDIENTS:

11/2 Cup Whole wheat flour
3/4 to 1 Cup Sugar
1 tbsp Corn Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Pinch Salt
1 Cup Orange Juice
1/3 Cup Oil
1 Drop Orange Essence Optional
1 tsp Orange Zest
Chopped cranberries – ¼ cup
Few chopped pistachios for garnishing (optional)

Ingredients for glaze:

Powdered sugar/Icing sugar – 5 tbsp
Orange juice – 2 tbsp

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  First, measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
2. To a sieve, add maida, corn flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1 pinch of salt and sift everything well to avoid lumps. Keep by side.
3. To a mixing bowl add sugar and oil. Whisk it well, till the sugar granules dissolve completely.
4.  Now pour the orange juice and add the sieved dry ingredients slowly.
   Then add orange zest and essence.
5. Whisk it gently, till smooth and soft. Fold it slowly as over beating turns the cake hard. The batter should be in pouring consistency not watery.
6. Coat the chopped cranberries & choco chips with some flour and add to the batter. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
7. By the time pre-heat the oven to 180c for 15 minutes.
8. Brush a baking tray with oil and dust little flour all over. Select a suitable size tray as the cake doubles in size. Now pour the cake batter to the tray, then shake a little, so that the air bubble release.
9. Place the tray in the oven and bake it for 30 to 35 minutes at 200c or a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
10. Once it cools down, run a knife through the sides and gently tap to remove the cake.

To make the glaze:

1. Mix the powdered/icing sugar with the juice until it forms a thick consistency but is still easy to pour.
2. Add sugar/juice to adjust consistency as required. Pour over the cake.
3. Rest the cake for 20-25 minutes in the fridge before slicing for clean slices, as the cake is very moist and soft.
4. Enjoy this eggless orange cake during tea time.
   

NOTES:

• Sieving the dry ingredients is important to avoid lumps and for even mixing.
• Oil can be replaced with olive oil or softened butter. But ensure to use neutral / flavourless oil.
•  Corn flour can be replaced with custard powder also..
• Addition of orange essence adds more flavour but it’s optional. It can be replaced with vanilla essence or made without any essence.
•  Always choose the correct size baking tray, otherwise the cake overflows when baking itself. To avoid this fill only 1/2 or 3/4 of the tray with the batter.
•  This cake stays good for 3 to 4 days under room temperature.