Orange Cake Ancona Style Recipes

ORANGE CAKE, ANCONA STYLE (TORTA DI ARANCE ALL'ANCONETANA)

Steps:

• Note: If you are in southern Europe and have access to Italian or Spanish blood oranges, use those; If not, California blood oranges are not a good substitute; You will have to forgo the color for the flavor of a tangelo or temple orange.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Thickly butter a tube pan and dust with flour.
• Note: You can also use a bundt pan, but make sure it is a heavy one--as heavy as your tube pan.
• Put flour, eggs, grated ornage peel, 4 tablespoons softened butter, sugar and ouzo in a food processor and process until all ingredients are incorporated.
• Add milk and baking powder and process again to incorporate.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan and place in upper level of pre-heated oven.
• Bake for at least 45 minutes, until top of cake becomes colored a rich gold.
• Place pan over a wine bottle or other receptacle to cool slightly.
• Loosen the edges of the cake with a sharp knife.
• Invert onto a plate.
• While cake is still warm, poke many holes into it, using a chopstick or similar implement.
• Pour the sweetened orange juice into the holes, filling them to the brim.
• Within an hour, the cake will have absorbed the juice.
• Serve at room temperature.
• Note: The cake will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, fully covered by plastic wrap.

ORANGE CAKE, ANCONA-STYLE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350.
• Put the flour, eggs, orange peel, 4 tablespoons softened butter, sugar and ouzo in a food processor, and run until all the ingredients are evenly amalgamated.
• Add the milk and baking powder, and process again to incorporate into the mixture.
• Thickly smear a tube pan with butter, and dust with flour. Put the cake mixture in the pan (it won't fill it up all the way), and place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top of the cake becomes a rich gold color.
• When the cake is done, place the bottom of the pan over a tumbler or tall mug, using pot holders, and push down to raise the loose bottom. Take the tube with the cake out of the hoop, work the cake loose from the bottom with a knife and lift it away from the tube. Place it on a plate with a slightly raised rim.
• While the cake is still warm, poke many holes in it using a chopstick or any similar narrow tool. Into each of the holes, slowly pour some of the orange juice. At first the hole fills to the brim with juice, but this will subsequently - in about an hour - be absorbed by the cake. Serve at room temperature, with more orange juice drizzled over each slice.