Vanilla Orange Cake

As this is a cake and I was already making changes to it, I didn't make it as healthy as I normally would due to the number of changes already in this first run. Next time I will be substituting the oil for unsweetened apple sauce. This cake was yummy and very moist!

Vanilla Orange Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups coconut sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup Egg-less Pastry Cream
Zest and juice of 1 large navel orange
3/4 cup milk
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Egg-less Pastry Cream

Preparation:

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 Combine flour, coconut sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, orange zest, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on slow just until the ingredients are blended together, then raise the speed to low-medium and continue to mix until smooth, approximately 1 additional minute.

 With the motor running, add 1 egg at a time, adding the next one after the previous one has been absorbed into the mixture. Stop the mixer from time to time to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to integrate ingredients, and return the mixer to low-medium speed. After all the eggs are added, continue to mix for approximately a minute to ensure the eggs are thoroughly mixed in. This will help guarantee that the sugar is dissolved and that the flour has been thoroughly mixed in.

 With the mixer running, add the milk and orange juice mixture (squeeze orange juice into a measuring cup and add milk until it reaches 1 cup total), 1/2 cup at a time, stopping the motor to scrape the sides and bottom from time to time. Continue to mix for another minute or until the mixture appears smooth.

 Grease two 9-inch cake pans, or 1 9x13 depending on how you plan to use the cake. Bake for 25-30 minutes, if using a single 9x13 pan, add another 5-8 minutes to the baking time (35-38 minutes total). If baking cupcakes, bake for 22-23 minutes.

 Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool until they are room temperature before you remove them from the pan. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to decorate.