Orange Cake

 The last Girl Vs. Moose blog entry for me was in August, right before I found out I was pregnant! It is no coincidence. I took a hiatus from housework, including cooking due to the high risk status of my first trimester and the insistence of my husband. Well I am back....with a helper! 

 Our son, Elijah will be continuing my cooking journey with me. First, as a passenger in his baby carrier, and later, hopefully he will be my little helper in the kitchen. At least, that is my vision. Now, back to business!

I made Orange Cake from the Moosewood Cookbook! I made a number of substitutions to try to make this recipe healthier and it worked like a charm. Even my toughest food critic, my husband, LOVED it and had a second guilt-free slice!  I used Splenda in place of sugar. I also replaced 2/3 of the butter with applesauce. This produced a low fat and MOIST cake.  The recipe recommended a bake time of 40-50 minutes. I baked it for 50 and this produced a really nice, sweet outer layer.

 I also made 50% more glaze than the recipe called for. The glaze was orange juice, sugar (Splenda) and lemon juice. I recommend using the larger amount because I think this helped make the cake that much more moist!  I did get slightly concerned when I was "fluffing" the butter/applesauce and Splenda because it looked like it was not mixing well, but it turned out beautifully!!! Also, I did not sift the flour....basically because I don't have a sifter....but it did not seem to make a difference. I HIGHLY recommend this recipe!~