Orange Cake

A friend was 50 years old when she and her husband became parents again — this time to their grandson. It seemed like a clear case of someone just not ready for motherhood yet.  

Nowadays, most grandparents are raising children and the most common reason is because parents are unable to give up their social life. They had the children because of unplanned pregnancies or sometimes to just experience it but realizing down the road that it is not as rosy as it looks like. Most people have a natural desire to have kids also because "that is what everyone else does". Also, in most Asian families, there is always a pressure to have a child because there are these endless relatives who usually inquire untiringly about any "good news" soon after two people are married. However, after having kids, the sweet part usually falls apart when there are endless sleepless nights and zero social life. That is the part of having babies that nobody ever warns us about.

It is not a grandparents’ job to raise their grandchildren. Some parents need to grow up and take care of their kids. No, sorry I am not one of those that can dump my kids off to the grandparents every weekend or school holidays so I can enjoy my life. I believe these kinds of parents are not a bad parent. It’s just that they are too busy doing what they want so they think that there’s no time left for their children. So good thing that grandma, grandpa and younger sisters are always available to feed, bath and put their babies to bed.

Personally, I believe that how we are raised and brought up plays a significantly important role in most of the decisions we make in life. There’re so many times when I am judged at how I raised up my children but I raised them without the help of my extended family. Both my children grew up sleeping in my room until they were 12 years old and I often received raised eyebrows when people found out that I breastfed my daughter until she was 4 years old. Everyone has their own way in raising their children. 

This cake has a strong orange flavor. It is a pretty straightforward recipe. Fantastic idea to use the orange juice and zest, so no waste! 

Orange Cake

Adapted from Azie Kitchen



Ingredients

150 gram butter

120 gram castor sugar

160 gram all-purpose flour – sifted

1 tsp baking powder - sifted

3 whole eggs

2 tbsp Sunquick cordial / orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest - optional 



Directions

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a 7”x7” baking pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Beat in the flour and baking powder mixture alternating with Sunquick cordial / orange juice. Stir in the orange zest. Beat until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan or spoon it into a 12-hole muffin tin line with paper cases until they are 3/4 full, not all the way to the top. Bake it for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. For a thicker cake, just double the ingredients and use a 8”x8” baking pan then bake it for 1 hour.

Leave the cake / cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.