Orange Flower Water Cake

From The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider. Copyright 2007 by Sally Schneider.

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.

Serves 8

• 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 (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Butter for greasing the pan
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
  or:
• Scant 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan. 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. 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 (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

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 this citrus glaze: Combine a scant 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a saucepan. 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. Spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it soak in before adding more.

I got a letter from “Domain Registry of America” about this site. The letter urged me to “act now.” It warned that this domain name, lauraleebeasley.com, would soon be lost forever! I bought the domain two years ago when I worked at Capgemini, so I couldn’t remember much about my purchase. I checked my old e-mails and discovered that I purchased my domain name from yahoo, not the “Domain Registry of America.”

Five things about Lee…

1) He was once my web designer, but I fired him.

2) He has a very clean apartment, for a guy.

3) He lied to me about last year’s Halloween costume. He was NOT dressed as the Hamburgler.

4) He drinks wine sometimes.

5) He doesn’t have any pets and wouldn’t accept the free kitten I offered him a year ago.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEEKINS!

So I am low on money these days, and I’m going to start a new budget. I am planning on spending $25 a week on food. I don’t know if I will be able to do this. I also have to buy cat food and dog food. I’m going to start eating a lot of canned food. I made sweet tea today and ate an apple, both very cheap.

This weekend I went with Bailey and Daniel to Delkwood Bar and Grill, near Bailey’s apartment. We had never been before. It is dim inside and smells of old cigarettes. Our waitress had yellow teeth. We ordered a pitcher of beer. While we were waiting, I noticed a tank of goldfish built into the bar. I was pointing them out when we heard a loud, guttural scream. I looked at the bar, thinking one of the men was yelling out at a football game. An older man in a black shirt had his head thrown back and was screaming. Then he fell to the floor. The waiters and waitresses ran over to him. One of them yelled, Call 911. Another one said, Stay with me Stan. I didn’t know what to do so we just sat there. Someone called 911 and the paramedics came. I think he had a seizure. I wanted to leave but Bailey made me stay. I ordered the fried shrimp and they were disgusting.

Amber= nervous

Amber-Green= troubled

Green= sensitive

Black= anxious

Blue-Green= relaxed

Dark Blue= happy

jellyfishes