Orange tray cake

I have been wrapped up in childhood memories and knees deep in oranges over the last week. That and two very different Netflix series.
The first was a dark one, which I devoured in about 3 days (you know, I had to pause it to go to work). I then had to cleanse my TV palate with something a little lighter, some mindless comedy thing.
Binge watching series helps me get in the zone when I am in the kitchen. The zone to me means I have all my ingredients lined up, my wireless headphones for maximum freedom of movement and my tablet, propped up on top of my coffee jar with a series on.
But I had questions after being in the zone this week. People say, word on the street is that binging is not good. We all know extremes can do you harm and moderation is key. I am a binger in all aspects of my life, from food to a new series. I got truly sucked into the fiction and then not only I have to snap myself back to reality after you feel a little lost after that last episode ends but also it completely distracted from baking, something that I actually enjoy doing. It is time to stop overwhelming my brain with too much to think about at once.

But whilst I watched the mindless comedy I made a few batches of orange tray cake, a recipe from my grandma. Why oh why have I never tried this cake before?!?! This cake was my childhood, my mum would bake it once a week for our afternoon snack and it reminds me of hot afternoons, playing on the street, with grazed knees. And did I say it is dairy free too? Get big fresh oranges, they yield the best zest. And save some of the juice to pour over the warm cake for extra moistness.

Orange tray cake (serves 6)

4 eggs, separated

1 cup of caster sugar

250ml freshly squeezed orange juice

Zest of two oranges

2 cups of plain flour

1tsp baking powder

For the drizzle:

300g icing sugar

100ml orange juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan. Prepare a 28cm square baking tin by lining it with greaseproof paper.

2. Beat the yolks with sugar for about a minute. Add zest and 150ml of juice

3. Slowly add the flour whilst whisking continuously. Lastly add the baking powder

4. Using clean whisks beat the egg whites to soft peaks and fold, slowly and thoroughly into batter using a metal spoon. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes

5. Let the cake cool on a rack, whilst still warm pour the remaining 100ml of orange juice over the cake and let it absorb it

6. To make the drizzle mix the icing sugar and juice with an electric whisk to make sure all lumps are gone.