Andrea Pons’ Rosca de Naranja
Makes 6-10 Servings
My Titita started baking pies and selling them out of her kitchen window to help support her family. One day, the son of the owner of one of the most famous bakeries in Mexico—Panaderia el Globo—stopped by my Titita’s window asking for a place to stay. He had gotten kicked out of his home, and in return for a roof over his head, he suggested to my Titita that he would teach her everything he knew about commercial baking. My Titita accepted, and that is how she started to grow her business, from pies, to coffee cakes, to eventually a full-blown bakery, La Española. After a year, the boy’s family took him back, and my Titita continued with her business. One of her most popular cakes was this rosca de naranja. She would only make a certain amount each day, and by closing time it was sold out. It was her most popular cake, and I was lucky enough to get the recipe for it before her Alzheimer’s started to worsen. This cake is my Titita’s legacy: it’s all the years of love and labor that she poured into her children and grandchildren. Her story is what inspired me to write this cookbook, and I knew that it would not be complete without being able to share this part of her with you.
Image Credits
Photo by Delaney Brown
Ingredients
for the cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 oranges, ends trimmed
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
for the glaze
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Method
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F and position a rack in the center. Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with butter. Lightly dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess or use baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- Using a paring knife, peel the oranges and remove the pith to keep the cake from tasting bitter. Roughly chop the oranges and remove any seeds. In a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse the oranges until smooth with a bit of texture but not puréed.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. One by one, add the eggs and mix well. Add the blended oranges. Briefly mix until combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix at a low speed. Be careful not to overmix the batter. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake is golden and firm to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes. It’s ready when a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack set over a sheet pan for 10 minutes. Release the cake onto the rack and let cool completely.
- For the glaze: Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Adjust taste to preference. If you’d like a thicker glaze, add more confectioners’ sugar. For a thinner glaze, add more orange juice.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, so it drizzles down the sides. Let the glaze set before serving.
- Slice and serve. Store leftover cake at room temperature in an airtight container or a covered cake stand.
Divider
Reprinted with permission fromMamacita: Recipes Celebrating Life as a Mexican Immigrant in Americaby Andrea Pons. Copyright © 2022. Photograph by Delaney Brown. Published by Princeton Architectural Press.Links
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