Orange Cake with Fresh Orange Syrup
Ingredients
For the bread:
• 4 oz. (113g) butter , softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• zest from 1 orange
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
For the orange syrup:
• zest of 1 orange , thinly sliced (or grated)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
Instructions
The bread:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat for 1 minute more. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. With a mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the orange juice and beat for 1 more minute. The mixture may appear curdled, but that is OK.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder, then gently fold them in with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
• Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
The orange syrup:
• Put orange zest, water, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup slightly thickens.
• As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, prick the surface with a thin skewer and pour half the syrup over the top. Allow it to soak in and cool. Take the bread out of the pan and drizzle with remaining syrup.