Easy Orange Cake (1957) ★★★★★

11:13 AM 1950s , 20th century , 5 stars , atomic age , cake , dessert , united states 0 Comments

I loved the retro illustrations in this kids's cookbook! You can easily make this recipe by following the original instructions, but I found them a bit small to read, so I've typed them out below.

Original Recipe:


The Verdict:
If you like boxed mix cakes (I'll admit here that I do) this is a nice way to dress one up. The cake is not overly transformed by the recipe, so it's the sauce that really makes this. It's deliciously citrusy with just the right amount of tang. If you use fresh juice from an orange and a lemon it will really boost the flavour.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls)

Orange Cake
1 box YELLOW CAKE MIX (and required ingredients, usually EGGS, OIL, and WATER)
2 tablespoons ORANGE ZEST, grated

Clear Orange Sauce
1 cup SUGAR
1/4 teaspoon SALT
2 tablespoons CORNSTARCH
1 cup ORANGE JUICE
1/4 cup LEMON JUICE
3/4 cup BOILING WATER
1 tablespoon UNSALTED BUTTER
1 teaspoon ORANGE ZEST, grated
1 teaspoon LEMON ZEST, grated

1. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Make the boxed cake mix according to directions and fold in the orange zest before baking. You may also use a homemade yellow cake recipe and simply fold in the orange zest.
2. While the cake is baking, make the sauce.  In a saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and water and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and zest.
3. Serve the cake warm with the warm sauce over top.