This simple scratch orange cake comes together easily and makes a lovely family dessert. It is so moist and flavorful, a perfect holiday orange cake. In a mixing bowl add 90 ml of cooking oil then zest the skin of two oranges and add in sugar. The zest of the oranges is what gives the cake its orange fresh flavour.

Once you have zested them, slice and squeeze out the juice of one and a half oranges into the bowl with the oil. Separate 5 egg whites from the yolks and add the yolks into the bowl with the oil mixture then whisk everything really well breaking the yolks in and making sure the sugar is dissolved in the mixture. Sift in the dry ingredients which are flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients then whisk until there are no lumps in the batter.

Bring the bowl with the egg whites and start beating it with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy and doubled in size then add in sugar in small batches and continue whipping until the meringue reaches a soft peak. This should take about 3 to 4 minutes. Take a third of the meringue and add it to the cake batter then mix it vigorously to make the batter light. Fold the remaining meringue gently in two additions into the batter.

Folding the meringue will ensure your cake comes out of the oven light and fluffy, if you beat the meringue into the cake you will have a very flat cake. Fold just until you can see that the meringue is incorporated in the batter then stop. Brush oil gently into a round or Bundt pan then lightly flour it to prevent the cake from sticking then add the batter to the pan. Bake the cake in a 320 degrees Fahrenheit (160C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

The cake should rise well and bake golden brown, once baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it on a wire rack. You can serve this cake plain as it is dusted with powdered sugar or served with an orange glaze made from orange juice and powdered sugar. Slice and enjoy.

Ingredients;

• 90 ml Oil (1/4cup+2 tbsp)
• Juice of 1 and a half oranges +zest (120 Grams) (1/2cup)
• 5 eggs (separate whites and yolks)
• 180 Grams/ (3/4cup) Caster Sugar (120 Grams for yolks mixture +60 Grams for whites)
• 180grams Plain Flour (1.5cup)
• 6gm (2tsp) Baking Powder

Instructions;

1. Pour 90 ml of oil into a bowl then add the zest of 2 oranges
2. Juice one and a half oranges (120 ml) and whisk in sugar
3. Separate the whites and yolks of 5 Eggs then add the yolks to the oil mixture and the whites to a separate bowl.
4. Whisk the oil mixture really well then add sifted flour and baking powder to the oil mixture and whisk
   until a smooth batter.
5. Whisk the egg whites until frothy and add the remaining 60 grams of sugar in three additions and whisk until the meri gue reaches a soft peak.
6. Gently fold the meringue into the batter and pour it into a greased cake tin pan then bake the cake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit (160C) preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.