dissecting the 'parts'

Sweet and Simple Bakes chose Chocolate Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake (recipe here) as the July 1 post recipe. As I read the recipe, the PARTS jumped off the page! Yes, I've been reading Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio," and I now find myself mathmatically analyzing recipes. (Couldn't I just leave the math and excel spreadsheets at work!!)

It's so simple to bake using parts. I've baked the 'Old Fashioned Pound Cake' from "Ratio" page 61. The cake was delicious, had a great texture, and was moist. This orange pound cake follows the same formula.

1 part sugar (this recipe uses 6 oz)

1 part butter

1 part eggs

1 part flour

Add a few extras, and you have Chocolate Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake.

I don't bake with self rising flour (I forgot that the salt was included) very often, and I added 1/4 teaspoon salt with the butter sugar mixture. I also added 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring, because I think everything needs a little vanilla. I believe these two additions enhanced the cake flavor.

I had some candied orange peel tossed in sugar in the pantry; I used this with the orange juice to make the glaze, and then strained the mixture.

There was enough batter to make 3 small cakes (pans are 4" x 2"). I punched holes in the little cakes, and drizzled the glaze over the tops. It seeped inside the cakes to add flavor and moisture.

This recipe yields a delicious orange, orange, orange cake. I'm not fond of chocolate and orange, so I dusted my little cakes with powdered sugar.

This recipe was quick to mix and bake, yet the flavor is intense and would make one think the recipe was much more complicated.

Since this recipe can be dissected into it's component parts, it can be scaled up or down, as the need arises.