This Orange & Blueberry Cake comes together in under an Hour and is Perfect for your Sunday Morning Breakfast. If you follow me on Instagram you must be aware how I love a good Breakfast Spread on a weekend, perfect for those slow languorous mornings that recharge you for the coming week.
And If you are new to baking , then this is a perfect recipe to begin with, without scaring you with over 100 steps. Read the whole recipe for some important Notes and Pro-Tips that will help ace your baking game.
I have to also announce here, Citrus Tea Cakes are my absolute favourites and I bake them often. I prefer these no fuss cakes over a Ganache or Mousse Cake. And when it comes to Citrus I am primarily baking with Oranges or Lemons. For a little variation this time I tried adding some Blueberry that I had on hand with me and the combination turned out delicious. So it was a good excuse for me to share it with you all here. You could also top this up with a Blueberry Jam/Compote /Orange Marmalade to make it more decadent or may be a dollop of whipped cream, as I write this I am certainly getting more ideas and this conversation in my head actually makes me salivate now (Ha Ha Ha). Reminds me to fix my Oven that suddenly broke down last weekend while the Husband made something , he disagrees though Shhhhhh .
Why eggless you ask me, because for records I do eat eggs occasionally though and I am not too fond of them. There were 2 reasons I started eggless baking about 3 years ago. I stopped eating Meat in 2018 and post that have constantly tried to reduce other animal based products. Not a vegan though but I have dairy in moderation specially with my Coffee I need milk ( Thats not going anywhere soon ). Also going eggless meant my Mom who at one point baked so many cakes for us as kids could have this too, she doesn’t eat eggs at all. But let me tell you no one would guess if these were eggless, WHY because this cake is perfectly moist and bouncy and has high notes of Orange Zest that feels so fresh and inviting. So without further reasoning lets get started quickly.
Note :
- This is an Eggless Recipe but you can also make it with eggs. Just omit the curd in this case.
- This is a no fuss one pot Cake , how I like it generally so it quickly comes together for Breakfast or Tea Time without filling up your sink with loads of dishes to clean specially now that we have no help.
- If you don’t have Blackberries at hand , you could replace it with any fruit that pairs well with Orange or simply Orange itself with turn out as fabulous too.
- Use Fresh Oranges and Juice and not canned ones VITAL ! (I used the Kinnu Variety here)
- I don’t recommend replacing Oil with Butter here, simply because in Eggless Cakes Oil works better at imparting a lighter texture. Ensure you use any neutral oil and not something pungent like Mustard Oil.
- I usually use Brown Sugar in all my Cakes because it has more moisture and imparts a slight caramelised flavour too, go ahead and switch it with regular sugar/castor sugar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sifting the Flour is a key step in eggless bakes as this imparts aeration and makes the texture light. DON’T OMIT IT !
- For a healthier version All Purpose Flour can be replaced half and half with Wheat flour. I have done it many times and it’s equally delicious.
What you will Need (Ingredients)
- All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 2 Cups
- Brown Sugar – 1 Cup
- Curd – 3/4 Cup
- Vegetable Oil – 3/4 Cup
- Fresh Juice of 2 Oranges
- Zest of 2 Oranges
- Blueberries – 100 grams
- A pinch of Salt
- Baking Powder – 1.5 Tsp
- Baking Soda – 1.5 Tsp
- A handful of Chopped Almonds or any Nut of Choice.
Method
Step 1 – Preheat the Oven for 15 minutes on 180 degress centigrade. Oil and dust your Baking Pan with some All purpose flour and Keep aside (You could also line it up with a parchment paper). Both Preheating and Lining your Baking Pan in the beginning is a critical step in Baking. You ask Why ? Fear not I will tell you.
Preheating an oven is especially important with baking when you use yeast, baking soda and baking powder as leavenings that react to heat. Once the Batter is ready it should go into a hot oven without loosing much time. A cold oven could make the centre of your Cakes drop or turn the texture dense.
Step 2 – In a Large Bowl add the curd and Brown sugar and whisk for a couple of minutes till the sugar dissolves completely
Step 3 – Now take the Oranges and grate their rind , only the orange part into the same bowl. Remember to not grate so deep that the white part gets added too as that’s quite bitter. Orange Zest is the most fragrant part of Oranges and what lends a beautiful aroma to the Cakes. I use it for my Pancakes too sometimes !
Step 4 – Now Juice the same Oranges and add the Juice to the batter as well. We are combining all the wet ingredients first to make a single bowl recipe.
Step 5 – Time to add the Vegetable Oil to the batter and give it a good mix.
Step 6 – Its now time to add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet mixture, take a metal sieve and start adding the Flour , Baking Soda , Baking Powder and Salt in parts. Sift slowly combining the wet and dry as you go. We have to fold these two together and not really mix vigorously. Add slowly one part of dry ingredients and keep mixing along. This will help you mix easily without spilling all over the Kitchen counter. ” Sifting is an extremely important step in eggless bakes , it helps in aeration and imparts a lovely airy pillowy texture to the Cake “
Step 7 – Add the Blueberries to the batter now , You can also add some nuts at this stage. Keep a few to Sprinkle on Top for Garnish later.
Step 8 – Pour the batter in your pre- lined baking tin, decorate with a few Berries and chopped Almonds on top and its ready to bake in the Oven.
Step 9 – Bake in a Pre heated oven for 35- 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Some smaller ovens could take less about 25-30 minutes so check around that time once.
THAT’s it easy peasy Eggless Tea Cake for you , ready in less than an Hour. Enjoy a slice with a warm cup of Coffee and watch the monsoon clouds float by this weekend. I will go book the Urban Clap guy to come repair my old oven. Its was a gift by my childhood friend. Her Mum Farida Aunty taught me my first cake when we were in Grade 8th so kinda special.
Cyaa
Kamakshi
PRO-TIPs
- Always Remember not to Open the oven door like a restless kid to check the cake in the first 15-20 minutes, this causes the heat to escape and your Cake might dent in the centre.
- Never over mix the Cake batter if you want them to be fluffy specially when we have baking soda in a recipe. Its a volatile compound that starts reacting with the other ingredients immediately and quick gentle folds for 2-3 minutes till everything comes together is all that is required.
