Orange Flower Water Cake

Use this Orange Flower Cake as a blueprint for other citrus cakes. Serve it plain, with a dusting if confectioners sugar, or poke the top with holes and saturate it with a tart glaze as follows.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, plus some for flouring the pan

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

• 1 cup packed light brown or granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 teaspoon orange flower water or vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

• Butter for greasing the pan

• confectioners sugar for dusting

Citrus Glaze:

• Scant 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

3. Sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/8 teaspoon salt. Beat 2 large eggs with 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest and 1 cup packed light brown or granulated sugar until light and frothy.

4. Whisk in the flour mixture until almost incorporated, then whisk in 1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon orange flower water or vanilla extract and 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted.

5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

6. Cool the cake on a rack 5 minutes, then invert to cool completely. Transfer to a platter and sift confectioners sugar over the top.

Or, to glaze and soak the cake, cool the cake in the pan 5 minutes while you make the citrus glaze.

Citrus Glaze

1. Combine a scant 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar in a saucepan.

2. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack; with a toothpick, poke holes into the top of the cake.

3. Spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it soak in before adding more.