Orange and saffron cake

Little A is going to be 2 next month and I think I made a breakthrough this month. You see, last year, I made this delicious birthday cake for him and he barely tasted it. This entire year, every time we went to a birthday party or if I baked a cake at home, I would try to get him eat a bite. Lil A would make a face, and now that he's talking say 'yucky' and walk away. So I had kind of given up on him eating cake. So this cake was not for him.

It was for us and for our friends. This has been my go to recipe for this holiday season. I've already made various versions of it (including a cake pudding trying to salvage a disaster) and it comes out great every time. But let me not digress.

At our friend's place when we were getting ready for dessert, Lil A points towards the cake. I ask him surprised "You want a piece?" He nods his head. So I sit him on a chair and cut a piece and he takes a bite. And another and then another. Yeah, Lil A ate and liked the cake. :)

It also helped that there was a 4-year-old sitting next to him eating a cake piece. But I may have just found a winner. Here is the recipe with Lil A's stamp of approval. I got the recipe from here, and modified it with saffron and reducing eggs and baking powder.

Ingredients:

(Modified from: Morocconfood)
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 cups flour
3 tspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Juice from 1 fresh orange and its zest
1 good pinch of saffron soaked in 2-3 tbspoon warm milk
2-3 tbspoon powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C), butter and flour the pan and keep it aside. Beat the eggs and sugar until it becomes thick. Then slowly add in the oil.

Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt in the mix, and then the orange juice, little bit at a time. Beat until smooth, and then mix in the zest and saffron milk.

Add the batter into your pan, and bake for about 40-45 minutes till the toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a rack and then add some dusting of powdered sugar.

Serve plain or with some ice-cream.

Have a wonderful holidays everyone.