With citrus season in mind, Lizamarie van Niekerk, a qualified chef and owner of Time Out Coffee Shop in Vryburg has prepared a lovely citrus cake that is the better one for any tea or coffee time.
Citrus is divided into four main groups – oranges, grapefruit, lemons and soft citrus (eg. mandarins). All citrus contains vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin with immune-enhancing effects.The harvesting season is usually from May to October. Citrus fruit has a tough and leathery rind with a juicy interior. Citrus fruit can be eaten fresh, pressed for juice, or preserved in marmalades and pickles.
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 small oranges or naartjies
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups white sugar (granulated)
1 - ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Icing sugar / powdered sugar for decoration
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven at 175 °C
2. Wash oranges or naartjies – do not peel – use whole fruit
3. Cut of top and bottom and discard and chop up rest of fruit
4. Pulse the chopped fruit in blender till thick and coarse.
5. Place in mixing bowl and add olive oil and blend again till fairly smooth
6. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Add this in parts to the citrus olive oil mixture
7. In another bowl – beat eggs till fluffy, add sugar and beat some more
8. Gently add egg mixture to citrus-flour mixture and fold in
9. Neither beat or mix vigorously or it will deflate eggs
10. Pour batter into prepared oven tin
11. Bake 50 – 60 min
12. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with citrus halves.
