Orange cake

I'm with Giulano when he says people are either cooks or bakers. He says he is a cook. I like to cook but not bake. It's pretty clear Marcella thinks in much the same way.

None the less, I'm fond of her orange cake from Marcella Cucina. I love the writing in this book. Marcella, to me, seems to be at the top of her game here, completely confident in her assertions, and expressing herself (perhaps with some assistance from Victor) so beautifully. This is especially the case in the introductions, where she implores us to make music.

Last time we tried to make music with this recipe, we blew out the blender (it was a double batch). So I bought a new blender, very expensive mind you, that and swore never to put a double batch through it again.

Today, Christmas Day, I'm just doing a single batch, for my family. Everything was going well until smoke started coming out the blender. My expensive, really expensive, heavy duty, blender.

Marcella 0, Blenders 2.

That made me a little annoyed, although I tried not to be on Christmas Day. I swapped to a food processor, which is in fact what we are instructed to use. Part of the lid fell off as part of this and caused a plate to be smashed on the kitchen floor.

All the time the new kitten meowed.

Ah well, I am pretty good with just getting on with it. So I did that, and put my timer on for 45 minutes as instructed. 45 minutes later the cake came out, and was burned.

That's the problem with automatic cooking in the oven. You can't check things to see if they are cooking ok. At least not easily.

It was only partially burned. I put sweetened orange juice all over. I had to use a screwdriver to poke holes in it as I was fresh out of chopsticks.

How will it taste? I will have to wait and see. Hopefully, I have made some form of music, although, not being a baker, I'm a little worried it will be more heavy metal than classical.

In the meantime, looks like I need to stump up for a new blender.

UPDATE: People enjoyed it.

Orange Cake

ok, so I've jumped forward a few books, but I just cooked the Orange Cake from Marcella Cucina. It all went well, and was so easy. Well, apart from the fact a certain someone burnt out the blender blending up her mix!!! I did warn her, although she says the blender 'got tired' when blending my mix, and just happened to give up the ghost in hers. The fact she was doing a double mix had nothing to do with it apparently...

Anyway, all worked out a treat. I was making it for Christmas but I've already taken a couple of slices. We'll see if it lasts!

David

Walnut Cake

I don't normally make cakes, or bake anything really. I tend to follow Marcella's advice and have fruit for dessert. I didn't expect to get to this chapter for, well, years. But I was asked to help bake. Just before my helper disappeared. So I was stuck with the task.

First thing I needed was the ingredients. I didn't have any baking powder. But I had some self raising flower. I didn't have a full 2/3 of a cup of white sugar, but I had a little brown to make up the difference. And I had some walnuts and a lemon, and the rest. You can see the brown sugar peeking out of the white.



And into the oven for the walnuts.



I didn't have a food processor, but I tried my best with a blender. It worked with the nuts, but not with the rest. So I just threw it in a bowl and had a crack myself.



In go the nuts.



And it's all together.



Not looking too flash at this stage.



There we go. I think perhaps I left it in the oven a bit too long.



Of course, in classic Marcella fashion, she tells me at the bottom of the page to wait 24 hours before I can eat it, to "let the flavors fully develop"!!! So I did that. It was very tasty with a nice lemon tang. Even two days later. And I have no doubt it would last even longer.