Orange cake

One of my favorite moment at home other than deity service is baking. Even though it gets messy and later piles up my sink nothing can compete to the sense gratification of the tongue which relishes the output of those efforts. Especially when we have the mother daughter time while baking stickiong your face near kitchen aid when it fogs up flour on your face and getting cream splattered in your hair!! ahh!! pricelss.....
Recently out of the blue my daughter was craving for an orange cake..it is usually chocolate cake she would walk upside down for. But for a change we decided to bake together. I gave the ingredients and the steps and she baked it all by herslef. Not bad!! baking does run in the gene. I had to take care of the decorating part though but nevertheless she made me proud. I did share it with my friends and colleagues who appreciated her efforts.Now its your turn to bake this for the first time by yourself and then have a sweet moment with your loved ones baking this together.Make every day a special one spend time with your loved ones.

Ingredients:

• self rising flour - 2 cups
• Orange blossom water or orange essence- 2 tsp
• sugar - 1 cup
• water - 1 cup
• sunflower oil - 1/4 cup
• Orange rinds -2 tbsp
• Navel orange - one slice
• Heavy whipping cream - 2 cups
• Castor sugar/confectioners sugar - 1/2 cup

Directions

1. First mix all the wet ingredients water, oil, orange essence, orange rinds and sugar.
2. Mix throroughly until sugar dissolves.
3. sieve the flour well to create air in avoid lumps.
4. Add the flour into the sugar water slowly without forming clumps.
5. Grease an 8 inch pan with butter or non-stick spray.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees..
7. when the oven is ready pour the mix into the greased pan..
8. Bake for about 30 minues. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean then cake is ready. Take the cake out and let it cool..
for making orange rinds just wash a thick skinned orange and grate using a ginger grater
9. Mean while whip the heavy creamwith 1/2 cup of castor sugar until it forms a peak and stays.I use kitchen aid which can really create cream peask. Next best option is electric hand mixer. Cut a slice of orange and peel the skin off. Cut the orange skin into juliene strips
10. Once the cake is completely cool use a serrated knife and cut the cake hroizontally in the middle to make 2 layers. Carefully separate the layers..
11. Now spread the cream mix in the middle..
12. Carefully place the other layer on the top..
13. You can either decorate the cake with orange rinds or juliene strips of orange and cream like the picture above