How to make candied orange peels

How to make candied orange peels

Candied orange peels are exactly what the name says. They are orange peels that have been made into candies. They are perfect for adding that subtle flavour to cakes. And not just orange cakes. You can use them in chocolate cakes, plain vanilla cakes, butterscotch cakes, pineapple cakes and many more. Who says you have to stick to convention? 

There are a few points to keep in mind while making candied peels. The most common question query is wont they taste bitter. Well the thin outermost layer of orange peels is not bitter. The white layer next to it is. So when you are peeling the orange make sure that you stay away from the white. So let us start the process. 

Ingredients

1 orange

½ cup sugar

5 tbsp water

Take one orange. Make sure it is bright orange and not those greenish orangish ones. Take a very sharp knife and slowly start peeling the orange, and only the orange layer. 

Do take care of your fingers because the knife has to be really sharp and the work really delicate. It doesn’t matter if you peel a long strip or really small ones. 

And in case you do manage to peel some white portion along then don’t worry. Try to gently cut off the white one as much as possible. 

 

If totally impossible then discard that piece of peel. This is how your poor shorn orange will look like. 

Try to find a volunteer who will now finish off the orange for you. 

It is always better if you try and peel a full orange and not the discarded peels. Once you take off the peel and eat the orange taking of the outer layer will prove more difficult.

Now that you have peeled the orange chop the peels into thin strips. 

Take 1/2  cup of sugar and 5 tbsp water. Bring to a boil and drop the chopped peels in the syrup. Simmer for about 7 minutes in the syrup. If the syrup becomes too thick then a tablespoon or two of water.

Now drain the water and spread the peels to dry. The best way to dry them is under a bright summer sun. However if you need them soon then you can dry them in the oven.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar on the peels and shake them well. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Then keep in room temperature for two days. Your candied peels are ready to use.

Eggless Fanta Orange Cake

Eggless Fanta Orange Cake
 

Every cake has its story. This cake of mine has one too.
I have come home to my mom after almost a year. My old room, my things, my books, all make me nostalgic. I remember those days of carefree existence. I was blessed to have grown up under the fond care of my grandparents. Truly there is no comparison to their selfless love. 

One of the things I came across was my grandmother’s orange juice strainer. It was commonly used before the advent of juicers. They used to be these triangular pokey tops on a fluted bottom, something like a shiv linga (oops am I being religiously incorrect??). However I remember many sunny afternoons sitting and straining oranges. You put half an orange on top and squeeze and turn. 

Sitting on the dining table were some plump oranges. I, personally am not fond of fresh oranges. Its smell puts me off. I was dying to use that apparatus so I decided to make a cake. An orange cake. So what else is new about that? Hmmmm !!!

I had often heard of a coco cola cake. So why not make a Fanta cake. And what else!! Serious head scratching session. Orange colour and orange tutti frutti to go with the theme. The idea was forming in my head and I could visualise a plate full of delightful orange taste and colour.
What about the topping? Sugar glaze sounds nice but orange and chocolate are a killer combination. Here I cheated a bit and used Hershey’s chocolate syrup. If your kiddo likes it then you can print it!!! Mine did and so here you go with the recipe!!

Ingredients
 
2 cups flour
½ tbsp. baking powder
½ cup oil
1 cup powdered sugar
juice from 1 orange
½ cup Fanta or any orange soda
½ cup curd, beaten
Pinch of orange food color
½ cup tutti frutti

Sift together flour and baking powder. Roll the tutti frutti in the flour. This way they wont sink to the bottom of the cake.
Beat together the oil and powdered sugar. Add the Fanta and orange juice, beat a bit and then add the beaten curd. 
 

Make sure no lumps remain. Now add the flour and tutti frutti mix. Pour the batter into a greased 8” cake tin.
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes.
You can serve the cake just like that as it is soft and delicious. You can also drizzle some sugar glaze or chocolate syrup.
Enjoy!!!

Steamed Orange Chocolate Cake

Steamed Orange Chocolate Cake

After one and half hour of badminton every day in the evening I somehow drag my tired body home. It is impossible for me to think of cooking anything for the evening. Sitting with a hot, steaming cup of tea in my hand, as I go through my recipe book, this steamed cake catches my eye. 

I have never eaten or baked a steamed cake. I wonder how it will turn out. The combination is a classic orange chocolate one. So what could go wrong?

 But do I steam it in a water bath? There are no oven temperatures mentioned. So maybe not an oven. And I don’t have a large enough pressure cooker.

 What to do? How about the momo steamer. I am an avid momo eater and I have a big enough steamer. So here goes or nothing. 

Its steamed cake today. 

And I wonder where I got the energy from!!!

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup milkmaid
2 tbsp orange juice
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ cup flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda

Mix together butter, sugar, milkmaid and orange juice in a pan and put it on medium heat. Stir till the sugar dissolves. Cool it a little. 
Beat the egg with the vanilla essence and add to the cooled milkmaid mixture. 
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Add to the pan. 
Grease a 5 inch springform pan. Pour the batter in the baking pan and steam for 40 minutes. 

The cake was delicious. It was so unlike a normal cake. It didn't rise much and had the texture of pudding. It was gooey, chocolatey and stick to your teeth rich. 

Orange Pound Cake

Orange Pound Cake

What do you do when life gives you lemons? You make lemonade, right!! But what do you do when life does not give you lemons, to make your Lemon Pound Cake? The lemons I get in the market here are the size of marbles and hopeless when it comes to grating zest. So I have to forego all those lime n lemony cakes and tarts and biscuits.

So I decided to make an Orange Pound Cake, not that it is going to be any easier. The grandma oranges I get have wrinkled skin and again no zesting.

But where there is a will there is a way!! Or you make a way!! I had some candied orange peels left over from my Christmas Cake. Sure grated zest is nicer, fresher, tastier..but like I said if life does not give you oranges you use canned orange juice. Yup that is my next cheat’s ingredient, Orange juice. Not going to use those grandma oranges at all!!

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup butter

¾ cup milk

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Some candied orange peels

50 ml orange juice (I have used half of a small tetra pack)

Preheat oven at 160 degrees Celsius.

Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs in three batches, mixing well after each batch.

Add half the milk, mix, and then add half the flour. Add the candied peels and juice. Mix again. Now add the rest of the milk and flour and fold in gently.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured tin. Gently bang the sides to level the batter in the tin. 

Bake for 60 minutes. 

Test with a tooth pick. If required bake 10-15 more minutes.

Once the cake is done leave it on a rack to cool.