Search
by Ingredient

Broiled Orange Cake

Empty starEmpty starEmpty starEmpty starEmpty star

Submitted by crb

Buttermilk orange cake studded with raisins and nuts, topped with a citrus-sugar glaze broiled into a caramelized, crackly crust. Served warm with whipped cream for an old-fashioned dessert.

YIELD

12 servings

PREP

30 min

COOK

60 min

READY

90 min

Broiled orange cake is a near-forgotten old-fashioned dessert that rewards the cook with one of the simplest party tricks in baking: a broiled topping. The cake itself is a buttermilk-and-orange-zest base loaded with ground raisins and chopped nuts, baked low and slow in a cold-start oven (yes, you start with a cold oven, exactly as written, for an even rise and tender crumb).

While the cake bakes, you whisk together a quick citrus glaze of orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and melted butter. The moment the cake comes out of the oven, the glaze gets poured over the top and the whole pan goes back under a hot broiler for just a minute or two. The sugar caramelizes into a thin, crackly amber crust that gives every bite a brittle, slightly bitter contrast against the soft cake underneath.

Serve slices warm or cold with softly whipped cream. Keep it in the pan as written; the moisture from the topping keeps the cake tender for days.

Pro Tips

  • The cold-oven start is intentional. The slow temperature climb gives a finer crumb and a more even rise; preheating actually makes this cake denser.
  • Watch the broiler obsessively. The sugar topping goes from golden to burnt-black in 30 seconds; stand at the oven and don’t walk away.
  • Use freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice for the topping. Bottled juice tastes flat and oxidized in something this citrus-forward.
  • Grind the raisins coarsely in a food processor (or chop with a knife). Whole raisins sink to the bottom; ground raisins distribute through the cake.

Variations

  • Use pecans or walnuts depending on what’s in the pantry; both work, pecans are sweeter, walnuts more bitter.
  • Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter for a warmer, holiday-style spice profile.
  • Swap orange for grapefruit zest and juice for a sharper, more bitter citrus version.

Ingredients

1 113
STICK G BUTTER
or margarine
1 237
CUP ML SUGAR
1 1
LARGE EACH EGG
2 473
CUPS ML ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
sifted
1 5
TEASPOON ML BAKING SODA
¼ 1.3
TEASPOON ML SALT
1 237
CUP ML BUTTERMILK
1 237
CUP ML RAISINS, SEEDLESS
white, ground
1 1
EACH ORANGE
grated rind of
½ 118
CUP ML NUTS
chopped
Topping
1 1
EACH ORANGE
juice of
1 1
EACH LEMON
juice of
1 237
CUP ML SUGAR
1 15
TABLESPOON ML BUTTER
melted
1
X WHIPPED CREAM
as garnish, to taste *

Directions

Cake: Cream butter, add sugar, and blend.

Add unbeaten egg and beat well.

Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with buttermilk.

Blend in raisins, orange rind, and nuts, if desired.

Pour into 8 x 11 x 2-inch pan and start in cold oven set at 325℉ (160℃).

Bake until well done, about 1 hour.

Test for doneness with toothpick; cake is done when toothpick comes out clean.

Topping: Combine orange and lemon juices with sugar and melted butter.

Pour over cake.

Place under broiler until topping browns sllightly, but watch carefully not to burn.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Keep cake in pan to retain moisture.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

Comments


 

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 133g (4.7 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 1125 30% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 37g 57%
Saturated Fat 18g 92%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 117mg 39%
Sodium 554mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 64g 64%
Dietary Fiber 6g 25%
Sugars g
Protein 30g
Vitamin A 20% Vitamin C 70%
Calcium 15% Iron 25%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free, High Fiber
 

Email this recipe