LUCY BURDETTE: It was a tad early for Christmas cookies, but I needed a sweet treat for company... The chocolate loaf cake I made for A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS (now available for preorder) was such a hit, that I wanted to try another recipe along the same lines. I decided on cornmeal with orange flavoring. I was thinking of almond extract for an extra boost of flavor, but discovered in my pantry a small bottle of King Arthur Flour’s Fiori de Sicilia extract, a combination of citrus and vanilla. Eureka! Like the chocolate cake, a sugary glaze gets painted on once the cake has cooled a bit.
Ingredients for the cake:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 orange, rind grated
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ tsp Fiori de Sicilia or almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1¼ cup flour
Grate the orange’s peel into a medium bowl and mix this into the sugar with your fingers. Stir in the eggs, the sour cream, the extract, and the melted butter.
Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a second bowl—flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Grease a loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 for about 45-48 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
While waiting for the cake to bake, prepare the glaze. Whisk ¾ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar with 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (from the same orange you used for zest.) Add another ½ tsp of extract, or to taste. (Again, Fiori de Sicilia or almond.)
When the cake has cooled, move it to a pretty serving dish. Paint with glaze. Serve as is or with fruit or ice cream.
Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series. A DISH TO DIE FOR is on bookshelves right now. A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS will be published August 8, 2023.
Follow Lucy on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for her mailing list right here.
