Dolce Rita: Orange and buttermilk cake!

I like to include fruits as much as possible in my diet, especially oranges. What better way to start your morning than with a bowl of cereals and a fresh glass of orange juice?

But oranges for me are more than a refreshing and healthy drink. In fact, I use this fruit quite a lot in baking and even in salads and savory dishes. The zest of the orange is just as useful and packed with flavor as the juice, if not more! Keep that in mind that next time you squeeze an orange and throw out the skin!

For this recipe, I will rely on orange juice and zest to enhance the flavor and the texture of the cake I'll be making. In addition to the orange element, another quintessential ingredient in baking, buttermilk, give this cake a moist and wonderful texture.

Trust me this recipe is just too easy to make and is excellent with coffee or tea, especially at the start of the day.

For the cake you need (18 cm round cake pan)

2 large eggs; room temperature
100 g sugar
65 g melted butter
170 g flour
1 tsp of baking powder plus 1/4 tsp baking soda (or just use 1/2 tsp soda)
dash of salt
50 ml orange juice
50 ml buttermilk
the zest of an orange
a splash of cointreau or grand marnier (optional)

Combine flour, salt and baking powder and soda and set aside. Mix the eggs for a minute then start adding the sugar and whip for about 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes pale and creamy. Add the melted butter (I add it pouring it on one side of the mixing bowl) and mix on a very low speed, then add the zest. Turn off your mixer, and fold the flour then the juice and the buttermilk.

Pour the batter in your prepared pan and bake between 20 to 30 min in a preheated oven (180C).

When the cake is done leave to cool for about 5 minutes then remove it from the pan and cover it with heated orange jam (to the jam I added grand marnier, just few drops), 2 tbsp of jam will be enough to cover the cake top. Sprinkle some toasted slivered almonds as a garnish and for added texture.