If it's time to feed your starter (or even if it isn't), it's time to make Sourdough Orange Cake with Cherry Sauce. The cake is moist, redolent of fresh oranges, tangy from the sourdough, and a little dense, almost like a pound cake. Not too sweet, the cake can be served "as is" for breakfast or as a "snack cake." It's even better for dessert, topped with a sweet cherry sauce. The sauce seeps into the already moist cake, and the cherries complement the orange in the cake. Want more orange flavor? The sauce has a bit of orange liqueur in it. If you want to avoid the alcohol, you can certainly substitute an equal amount of orange juice. Either way the cake is incredibly good. Sufficiently so that you might not want to wait for discard day to make it. And yes, you can serve the cake with a little ice cream or whipped cream alongside. Ummmm!
Sourdough Orange Cake with Cherry Sauce -- Makes a 9-inch square cake
2 large eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of sour cream or yogurt (I usually use yogurt)
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1/4 cup of orange juice
Grated zest of an orange (or a couple of clementines/mandarins)
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Coat a 9-inch square pan or baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, yogurt or sour cream, oil, sourdough starter/discard, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk them together well. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk them into the wet mixture until combined and the mixture is mostly smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cake for about 35 minutes or until golden and a pick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter attached. The edges of the cake should be just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Serve the cake "as is" or with the cherry sauce below.
Cherry Sauce
24-ounce jar of dark, sweet, pitted cherries (I use Morello cherries from Trader Joes or
Aldi)
2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch (use 3 if you like a thicker sauce)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of orange liqueur or orange juice
In a large microwave-safe bowl or measure combine all the ingredients and stir them well. Microwave the mixture for 5-6 minutes, stirring gently every minute or so, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the liqueur or orange juice. You can serve the sauce warm or let it cool and refrigerate it to serve cold. You may have extra cherry sauce, which is wonderful on top of ice cream, pancakes, yogurt, etc..
