I didn't know quite what to call these simple orange treats--except good! The little cakes or buns are sweet, moist, and full of orange flavor. You can enjoy them for breakfast, with your tea or coffee, or even for dessert, perhaps topped with a puff of whipped cream. You won't need baking powder for these little treats unless your starter/discard is quite weak (in which case, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to the mixture with the flour). The cakes/buns won't rise much, but, not to worry, they'll puff up in the oven. Inside, the cakes/buns will be a little dense--more like a pound cake than a bread--and they'll be swirled with orange marmalade. Why bother with the sourdough starter/discard? It will give the cakes/buns some lift, and it will enhance the flavor of the cakes/buns. The tang of the sourdough complements the citrus flavor and adds a little something extra to the taste of the cakes/buns. Really, the cakes/buns--whatever you call them--are great! Enjoy!
Sourdough Orange Marmalade Cakes/Buns -- Makes 12
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1 large egg
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Grated zest of a medium orange
In a large bowl, beat together well all of the ingredients listed above. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit for at least an hour (4-5 hours is fine, too, if you have work to do). When you're ready, add:
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
Beat the mixture well with a wooden or other sturdy spoon. Spritz 12 muffin cups well with non-stick cooking spray. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. To a small cup or bowl, add:
1/3 cup of orange marmalade
Microwave the marmalade for 15-20 seconds until it's a little warm but not hot and then stir the marmalade well to loosen it up a bit. Divide the marmalade among the filled muffin cups, dotting each bit of batter with some of the marmalade. With a spoon, squish the marmalade into the batter, swirling it a little, if you'd like (the swirling isn't really necessary, the object is to get some of the marmalade below the surface of the batter). Divide among the marmalade topped batter in the muffin cups:
1-2 tablespoons of sugar
Sprinkle some of the sugar on top of the batter/marmalade in each cup. Let the batter rise for 2-3 hours or until it increases by about 1/4-1/3 in volume. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the cakes/buns for about 30 minutes or until a very light golden brown and the cakes/buns look to be just barely pulling away from the sides of the muffin pan(s). Let the cakes/buns cool in their pan(s) for a few minutes then run a plastic knife around the edges of the pan(s) and turn the cakes/buns out of the pan(s) to cool completely.
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