Bake: Moist and Delicious Orange Cake

J and I were lucky enough to be treated for dinner, and gifted a bag of fresh off the trees (yes, there really are lots of oranges in the OC!) oranges and tangerines from our friends this past weekend, so I searched the web to find some good orange recipes to thank them. I found some interesting orange cookies and orange cakes - but this recipe one got the most rave and consistent reviews.

This is an incredibly moist and delicious orange cake. It is Ina Garten's (aka Barefoot Contessa) "Orange Pound Cake",  but I did not find it dense or heavy the way I usually think of pound cakes. Her recipe was perfect. The only modification I made was to use a mix of tangerines (more tangy!) and oranges that I had on hand. I also recommend the final icing/glaze as optional.  Be sure to read the recipe carefully as some of the measures (orange juice, sugar) are divided into different steps. 

Bake: Orangey Lemony Olive Oil Cake

Happy 2013!!! Things have been busy lately - we're expecting our baby in February (could be any day now - we're in the final stretch!),  and now live in the OC. Things will surely change once the little one arrives, but stay tuned as we continue to live deliciously - cooking and baking good foods at home, and exploring the wonders that LA/OC has to offer as our family grows. :)

I've taken advantage of my maternity leave to nest, and have recently returned to baking - something that I haven't had time for in a while.  Last night, while surfing the web, a tasty treat on Gilt Food caught my eye and suddenly I had a craving for olive oil cake! I was just one click away from buying it, when I thought, why not bake it myself?  I found this recipe online, and we had all the ingredients in our pantry.

So this morning, I satisfied by craving by baking my first Orangey Lemony Olive Oil Cake! After reading reviews, I made a few modifications and came up with the following recipe: