Orange Sour Cream Pecan Cake

I got a bag full of cuties (oranges) from Kimi the other day.  There were so many of them that I didn’t know if we were going to consume them in a timely manner.  We’re not fruit people.  Plus, they weren’t all that sweet (more of a reason why we’re not fruit people) so I decided to bake with them.  Luckily they’re small so I used four of them in this recipe.  That’s half the bag, whew! I hate waste.  Now I just need to figure out what to do with the other half of the cuties.  If you like orange and pecans, this will be a new favorite.

Print this recipe

Ingredients:

Filling/Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups of pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup of dark muscovado sugar
• 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Cake:

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• zest from 4 small oranges (I used cuties)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
• 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• juice from 4 small oranges (I used cuties and mine rendered about 3 ounces)
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Preparation:

Filling/Topping: In a medium bowl combine chopped pecans, muscovado sugar, ground cinnamon and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

Using a stand/electric mixer (or mix by hand) combine flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk eggs, butter, orange juice, sour cream and vanilla extract until blended.  Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just moistened.

Pour half of the batter in the greased baking pan.  Spread it evenly.  Sprinkle half of the filling/topping over it evenly.  Then dollop the remaining batter over the filling/topping and spread into an even layer.  Sprinkle the remaining filling/topping evenly over the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake tester/toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry with a few crumbs attached.  Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting into the pan.

Adapted from CHOW