Bruria’s Orange Cake

This is a wonderfully light and tasty orange cake. I got the recipe several years ago from Bruria, the mother of our daughter-in-law, Tali.
With Bruria’s permission and blessing, I am posting it here as a cake that our family happily “adopted” and enjoyed through the years.

Bruria gave me a wonderful tip which is relevant for this cake, and other cakes using beaten egg whites.
When baking such a cake, it is better NOT to preheat the oven to the optimum temperature, but to put the cake into the oven when the oven is only partially pre-heated; that way, the cake won’t rise too quickly and then “fall” after being removed from the oven.
This will guarantee that the cake remains the same height as it reaches during baking, and the top will be level and even.

Thanks, Bruria, for the recipe – and for all the other recipes you have shared with me through the years (and hoping for many, many more!!!!!!).

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• 2 Tablespoons of sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 additional cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of orange juice
• grated orange rind
• 2 cups of self-rising flour

Preparation:

1. Beat the 6 egg whites, while gradually adding 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Beat till stiff.
2. In separate mixer bowl, beat 6 egg yolks together with 1 cup of sugar, beating till fluffy.
3. While beating, slowly add 1/2 cup of canola oil.
4. To this mixture, add, by hand, the vanilla extract, orange rind, 3/4 cup of orange juice, and finally, 2 cups of self-rising flour. Mix till blended but do not overmix.
5. Carefully fold beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture.
6. Pour into a greased 26 cm (10 inch) cake tin (recommended: the type of cake tin where you can take off the sides for serving).
7. Only partially pre-heat the oven, allowing the temperature to rise slowly to 180C (350F) while the cake is baking. This will prevent cake from “falling” after being removed from the oven.
8. Bake approximately 50 minutes, or until cake is golden brown, and firm in the middle.
9. Enjoy!