Orange Cake

Last year we drove through an orange orchard in bloom for the first time. The trees stood along the road for miles. We rolled down the windows, and the smell was aammmaaaazing! A couple weeks ago I was at Costco when I experienced that orange blossom smell. They were selling dwarf orange trees. I had to get one. Ashley and I went and got it a big pot and it’s sitting on our back porch now. It will be a while before its tiny green oranges are ripe enough to eat (there are at least 10!), but it did get us thinking that I should re-work an orange cake recipe that I started five years ago. The orange cake was a total success, as you can see!

We have so many Spunky projects going on right now. So you know how I handed in my next book? While waiting for the publisher’s edits to arrive we switched our focus back to our baking mixes, which I’m completely psyched about, but they’re soooo time consuming. Between planning our book launch, book tour, managing the blog, and the million and one things we need to do for the mixes, I was starting to have panic attacks that I was forgetting to do stuff.

So Andy and I started having a weekly Spunky work meeting. The one we had this week was seriously over an hour long. It was a two-page list of people to call, packages to choose, logos to finish, labels to price. Oh, boy. But it’s also kinda super cool that I get to have this family business, and that we get to have our hour-long meeting while sitting on the swing in our backyard. We stop and pinch ourselves all the time.

While Andy whittles away at that list, I get to do my favorite thing: take Ashley to therapeutic riding. I missed taking her so badly while I was working full-time on the book for three months. Andy agrees: The ranch is beautiful (they even have a few orange trees!). Ashley has improved so much in her riding, and more than that, she has confidence there. She knows where everything is, and she’s getting better and better at every task. Yesterday at the ranch I started imagining my dream life for Ashley: being outside all the time, surrounded by people who love her. Now that I think about it, it sounds like the life she already has. 😀

Anyway, I hope you like the orange cake!!!

♥, Kelly

Orange Cake with Candied Oranges

Candied Oranges

1 Valencia orange
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
pinch of sea salt

Candied Orange Directions

1. Line a 7″ springform pan on the bottom and sides with unbleached parchment paper. (cut one round piece for the bottom and one really long narrow piece for the wall)
2. Slice the orange into about 1/4 inch strips.
3. Add the water and the honey to a 12″ skillet and bring them to a simmer.
4. Slowly lay the oranges into the simmering honey water.
5. Simmer until the liquids have reduced to about 1/4 cup of syrup. (About 25 minutes)
6. Lay the first orange in the middle of the lined pan, then arrange the rest around the outside, overlapping as needed.
7. Save the syrup left in the pan for topping, if desired.

Cake ingredients

1 Valencia orange
1/4 cup flaxseed meal (I think arrowroot flour would also work)
3/4 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs

Cake directions

1. Boil the orange (peel and all) for about 80 minutes. Place in a bowl of cold water to cool.
2. When the orange is cool enough to touch, remove half of the peel.
3. Puree the orange (now missing half of it’s peel) in your food processor, fitted with the S blade.
4. Add the flax meal, coconut flour, coconut oil, stevia, honey, and baking soda to the food processor. Puree.
5. While pureeing, drop in the eggs.
6. Transfer the batter to the dish with with the candied oranges. Pack the batter down and spread it evenly.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. (It will continue cooking slightly after it comes out of the oven.)
8. When the pan is cool enough to touch, remove the wall and flip the cake over onto the plate.
9. Top with syrup if using.