Orange Cake

Orange tart . To make one of the  most successful orange dessert recipes on the blog, we don’t have to have much skill, it is perfect for kitchens that start in the kitchen. And is that getting to cook something sweet, is not always synonymous with difficulty. We can prepare sweet recipes without the need for much work or time. An example of what I am telling you is today’s recipe, an easy and very quick orange tart to prepare, with an added advantage, we will stain practically nothing in the kitchen, which is also a point to keep in mind.

Today’s recipe is very simple, its preparation time does not take more than 30 minutes and in which 10 minutes are to bake the base, the rest of the recipe is a simple mousse that we will only have to wait until it sets in the fridge. But it is not a simple cake with jelly, which combines perfectly with this cake and gives it an interesting touch, it is the base. It is a compact chocolate and almond sponge cake that will give our cake that point of bitterness of the chocolate that, in my opinion, looks so good on the orange. The almond and cocoa of its base with the softness and sweetness of the orange cream will make this cake one of your favorites for any time.

We also take advantage of the fact that we are in the middle of the citrus season, this cake is also very rich with tangerines, or with the other classic, the orange meringue pie, the orange tart with meringue . We no longer have an excuse to not have something sweet ready for any moment of craving, this orange cake recipe is the proof of it, in just 30 minutes we can enjoy a delicious dessert.

Preparation of the orange cake

1. The first thing we do before starting to prepare the base of the cake is to adjust the mold. We line the base with baking paper and to make it easier we simply have to cover the base with enough paper so that it is over the sides and can be held at the time we place the side and adjust it.
2. To make the base of the cake mix the dry ingredients, the ground almonds, the sugar, the cocoa and the grated or chopped chocolate in a bowl. Mix well and incorporate the eggs. We beat the mixture until the egg is completely absorbed by the dry ingredients.
3. We place the dough in the mold and spread it, pressing lightly, over the entire surface of the base of the mold. With the oven previously heated to 180º C, we bake for 10 or 12 minutes. We remove from the oven and let it cool on a rack.
4. While the base of the chocolate cake cools we begin to prepare the mousse. The first thing we do is to hydrate the gelatin, leaving it to soak in water for 15 or 20 minutes.
5. We separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs and, in a bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar and the zest of an orange. Mix well and reserve.

1. We mount the egg whites until stiff and reserve.
2. The next step is to whip the 35% MG cream, they already sell it like that or as whipping cream. Remember that the cream must be in the fridge a few hours before assembling it so that it is very cold. Use a stick mixer and start at the minimum speed. You can watch this video to not lose detail of the process. Once assembled we add the sugar and continue beating until it is well integrated. We reserve.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice, remove it from the heat and add the hydrated gelatin leaves. We stir well until they have been diluted.
4. In the bowl of the yolks with sugar, add the orange juice with gelatin and mix well. Add the whipped cream and mix gently until the mixture is integrated. Finally we incorporate the egg whites until stiff and with enveloping and smooth movements we integrate them with the rest of the mousse.
5. Before pouring the mousse on the base of the cake we will pass a spatula or a knife along the side of the base of the cake to separate it from the walls of the mold. This will facilitate the work of removing the cake from the mold when the mousse has curdled. We clean the edges of the mold to remove possible remains of chocolate and pour the mixture of the orange mousse.
6. We keep the tart in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours until it has completely curdled. At the time of serving, we remove the cake carefully and decorate it to our liking.

As the base, this time is chocolate, I thought it was a good idea to sprinkle it with grated chocolate but cocoa powder or even a little orange jam would also be a nice alternative. I leave this to your liking and imagination.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.