Orange Yogurt Cake

Awww, the beauty of living in California - the land of milk and honey and cornucopia of heavenly fruits and vegetables.  Here we are in the middle of winter and yet, I could not be more excited because it's that time of year again... that's right - time for oranges!

This Martha recipe has been in my baking repertoire for quite a while and I absolutely love it for so many reasons:  it's quick and easy, I always have all the ingredients on hand, it's low fat, it's pretty, it's a refreshing showcase for oranges and... our kitchen gets to smell like fresh citrus clear into the afternoon.

Recently, we were staying at our friends' house and I decided to make this cake for a little post-Valentine's treat.  I got to pluck a couple of oranges straight from their orange tree to use...

...and ya know it just doesn't get any fresher than this.  Can you smell the fresh scent of citrusy goodness wafting off your screen?  You actually will only need one good sized, delicious orange for this recipe.

ORANGE YOGURT CAKE

(adapted from Martha's)

*Preheat oven to 350°

*Butter and sugar an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda 

pinch of salt

Add to:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp. orange zest (save the rest of the orange's zest for the icing)

1 T. orange juice (save the rest of the orange's juice for icing)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Let cool on wire rack.  

While the cake is cooling (or after it is cooled), make this glaze:

Glaze:

Remaining juice from orange

Remaining zest from orange (to taste)

A couple of T. of powdered sugar (to taste)

Stir together and pour over slightly warm or cooled cake.  
Top with a little more powdered sugar and/or add a little design in orange rind for added flair.

Remember when you are grating fresh citrus to only grate off the colored part (not any of the white pith which is really bitter and no bueno.)  If you don't have a woodworker's inspired microplane grater by now, you really need to check them out (here is one I use at home.)  They work for so many other things besides citrus - ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon just for starters!

All the ingredients blend together pretty easily in a bowl, or you can use a mixer to mix them together gently.

After mixing, you can see the bits of orange flecks, mmmm.

Pour gently into your prepared pan and spread out evenly with a rubber spatula.

As I've mentioned before, I really like to butter and sugar my pans before baking almost all my cakes.  I can't tell you how many people comment on the yummy crystally goodness it adds to each bite!

I love how this cake turns out - it's really great for breakfast or a nice, light dessert!

Enjoy.