Orange Blossom Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until blended. Beat in applesauce and orange zest. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in dates and nuts. , Pour into a greased 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. , Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine glaze ingredients; bring to a boil. Pour over cake. Cool completely in pan.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, orange blossom water, salt, baking soda, cloves and allspice. Add the softened butter, working it into the dry ingredients with your hands until fully incorporated. Add the egg and vanilla extract and gently knead the dough until it comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat a grill to 350 degrees F. (See Cook's Note)
• Roll out the dough to roughly 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Punch out six 3-inch rounds, re-rolling the dough once if necessary. Place the dough rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure they are evenly spaced.
• Place the baking sheet over indirect heat on the grill. Bake the tea cakes until set but still pale, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool. Additional garnishes can be added to the top of the tea cakes. I enjoy adding a sprinkle of allspice at the end.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a Bundt pan with cooking spray; if your Bundt pan isn't nonstick, oil it and dust with flour.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Whisk until well combined.
• In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk, orange zest and orange blossom water.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed and mix in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in half the flour mixture, then all of the buttermilk mixture, and, finally, the remaining half of the flour; at each step, mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
• Bake on the middle rack until golden brown and just beginning to pull away from the edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, about 3 minutes.
• While the cream is heating, combine the white chocolate chips, orange zest and orange extract in a heat-proof glass bowl, and set the bowl over the cream. When the cream reaches a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute to begin to melt; then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes to ensure even cooling.
• Invert the cake onto a rimmed plate and drizzle the top with ganache. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 10 holes of a muffin tin with cases (or grease some individual cake moulds). Beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, yogurt, zest and 2 tbsp orange blossom water in a large bowl with an electric whisk until lump-free. Spoon into the cases (or fill cake moulds three-quarters full), and bake for 18-22 mins until golden and risen - a skewer poked in should come out clean (check cake moulds after 15 mins).
• Drizzle with remaining orange blossom water while warm, then cool. Dust with icing sugar to serve.