Awesome Cake!! I had to make this cake twice in two days by popular demand. This one is surely a keeper and crowd pleaser.
Ingredients:
- 10 oz. (2-1/4 cups) all-purpose flour; more for the pan
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 6 oz. (12 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan
- 3/4 cup canola or other mild-flavored oil (check for freshness before using)
- 1-1/2 Tbs. finely minced lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup strained fresh orange juice
- 5 large eggs
For the syrup & glaze:
- 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
- 2 Tbs. dark rum
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, divided
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup bundt pan.
To make the cake:
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and soda into the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the butter and mix on low speed until fine crumbs form.
- Change to the whisk attachment. With the machine running on medium speed, whisk in the oil, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and orange juice.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time and then increase the speed to high and whisk the batter until light, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
To make the syrup and glaze:
- While the cake bakes, whisk together in a small bowl the orange juice concentrate, butter, rum, and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar.
- When the cake is done, set the pan on a rack to cool for 5 minutes.
- With a thin skewer, poke the cake all the way through to the bottom of the pan in about 100 places.
- Pour 1/3 cup of the syrup over the cake and let stand for 1 hour before removing the cake from the pan. (At this point you can wrap the cake in plastic and hold for up to 3 days at room temperature; in fact, the flavor only improves.) Cover the remaining syrup with plastic and store at room temperature.
- When ready to serve, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into the remaining syrup. Set the cake on a rack over a baking sheet and pour the glaze over the cake.
- Let stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.