This orange cake is not overly sweet, but in the true Italian tradition, slightly sweet and flavorful. Perfect with the morning coffee or just a midday snack. It may seem odd but you add the entire orange, peel and all, to the batter. By mixing it in a blender the peel disappears and adds just the right amount of sweetness along with the zest of the peel. For those that have not had the experience of eating traditional Italian cakes you can always add a glaze to the top or dust with powdered sugar to add a little more sweetness to satisfy your American taste buds. I like it just the way it is.

Italian Orange Cake

• 1 large organic orange
• 3 large eggs
• 80 ml vegetable oil
• 100 g sugar
• 250 g all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• pinch of salt

Wash the orange well. Cut off both ends of the orange. Cut the orange, peel and all, into eights. Cut each eight piece into three pieces. Place the entire orange (minus the ends) into a blender. Add to the blender the three eggs, vegetable oil and sugar. Blend all till smooth.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Now add the orange mixture to the flour and whisk till it’s completely blended and smooth.

Prepare a small Bundt pan by oiling the bottom and sides and coating with flour. Pour the cake mixture into the bundt pan and bake at 355 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, slide a knife around the sides of the pan and turn over into a dish. You can decorate the cake with powdered sugar if you prefer.