ORANGE BUTTER CAKE………For a Friend :)

Friends are the best gift you would ever have in this world! I love this phrase and I'm also very happy that I have a lot of good and sincere friends that have walked with me in my life of good and bad, ups and downs……..and are still with me no matter how crazy I can be ……at times , LOL. Since tomorrow I will be having lunch with a few of my close friends (aka the 'crazy' ones) , I decided to bake a cake for one of them (Joanne), as to celebrate her coming back for good to KK after leaving us to JB for work a year ago. We have been looking forward to her come back every holidays………then she finally decided to return for good ……...YEAH!!!I searched the blogs for new additions from the other dedicated bakers to get some inspiration on what to bake………although I have a whole list of recipes that are lining up in my 'TO BAKE' list…….sometimes you just want to get away from the rotten list and search for something new :P
I saw this recipe - Orange though Butter Cake, ya, I know……it was nothing new to me and to you too, right? But what actually caught my attention is the texture of the cake in the photo posted by the blogger, it was so moist and the crumb was so fine…….then when I read the ingredients , I found out that it doesn't use orange juice or orange essence ……but only grated orange zest! So, I decided to give this a try and find out what it is like to bake an Orange cake without the essential orange juice…….but just the zest. Give it a try too………………it definitely won't disappoint you I am very satisfied and all my friends who tasted it…….gave a thumbs up!! Thanks to Little Teochew for sharing this great awesome recipe :)

 Orange Butter Cake
Recipe:- 195g all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 170g butter, softened
- 225g sugar (I used 180gm, but still find it a bit sweet, maybe 150gm is enough)
- 1 large egg, plus one large egg yolk
- 1 ½ tbsp orange zest (I used orange zest grated from 1 orange only, because 1 ½ Tbsp of orange zest is a lot to me, and I don't want the cake to have that after-taste)
- 12 tbsp whole milk

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 9-inch* cake pan (I used a loaf tin instead).

2. Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

3. Set the mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy for about 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the orange zest and mix well, then whole egg and then egg yolk. If the mixture curdles, just add 1 tbsp of flour and continue mixing. ( I did not add the additional 1 Tbsp of flour because my mixture did not curdle)
5. On low speed, add in the dry ingredients into the mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk, and ending with flour.

6. Switch mixer to medium and beat for 10 to 15 seconds, just until batter appears thoroughly blended. The batter should look thick and creamy.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula or knife.

8. Bake at preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until it reaches a dark-gold color and an inserted cake tester comes out clean.

9. Let to rest in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cake stand or platter. Allow cake to completely cool before slicing.       

Happy Baking!