ORANGE ALMOND STREUSEL CAKE

Dear frnds, am here tdy, too thrilled to share an awesome recipe with you all, after having tasted a large wedge of a bewitchingly luscious Orange Almond Streusel Cake..This recipe belongs to allrecipes.com.

This is a scrumptious cake with a toothsome crunchy streusel topping.I have not made much changes in the original measurements or ingredients..But had to use a little more than the qty of orange juice mentioned..As well I took a pressed qty of light brown sugar for the streusal filling..The cake batter does not contain enough sugar.. It is the streusal filling that lends the required sweetness to the cake..The filling plus the cake batter's sugar together will make it sweet enough..So pls do not be tempted to increase the qty of sugar in the batter..Almonds in the recipe are supposed to be sliced.. But to save time I chopped them very coarsely ..This makes the streusel very crunchy n tasty..Since I luv intense orange flavour I used the rind of 3 large oranges, each for the batter as well as for the streusal..So altogether we will need 6 oranges, for the rind alone..The cake will be sweet enough.. So no need for any glaze! If desired an orange glaze can be trickled on top.

I wud suggest all my frnds to try this out.. Your family will definitely luv it!!..The cake tastes best if served warm and on the day it is made....Wow! The whole house is filled with an entrancing aroma of freshly baked streusel!!..I can't wait any longer to share this recipe with you all....So, here goes the recipe:-

INGREDIENTS FOR THE STREUSAL:-

1)Fine light brown sugar--1 cup pressed

2)Plain flour--1/4cup

3)Melted butter-3tblsp

4)Chopped or sliced almonds--1 cup

5)Orange rind--of 3 large oranges

Mix everything together in a bowl,using your fingers tips and keep aside covered.The mixture will be dry and grainy.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE:-

1)Plain flour--2 cups

2)Baking Powder--1tsp

3)Baking Soda--1 tsp

4)Eggs--3

5)White sugar--1/2 cup measured and then powdered

6)Soft butter--1/2 cup

7)Vanilla essence--1/2 tsp

8) Orange rind of --3 large oranges

9)Orange juice--almost one cupful

METHOD TO MAKE THE CAKE:-

Take a square baking tin and line it with buttered butter paper..You will need a deep tin..(I used a loose bottom tin measuring,91/4"wide and 31/4"tall)Keep aside..

Beat the butter with powdered sugar in a bowl,followed by the eggs one by one.. Beat till light and fluffy adding the orange rind and vanilla.. Fold in the flour , that has already been sifted with the BP and BS,alternating with the orange juice..The batter will be semi loose.Do not make it runny by adding any more juice.. Almost one cup of juice is enough..You may run your hand mixer thru the batter for 3 seconds, at the lowest speed just to blend everything..Do not over beat!

Now let's spread the two mixtures in the baking tin..

First spread half of the cake batter in the tin.. Now over this layer sprinkle half of the streusel filling..Repeat the layers once more .(top with the streusel)..Bake in a preheated oven(180 degrees)for almost 50 minutes, or till the top is firm to touch..Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake..If it comes out clean without any crumbs, the cake is done.. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

ENJOY!!......HAVE A HAPPY TEA TIME!!REMEMBER, THE CAKE TASTES BEST WHEN SERVED WARM AND THE DAY IT IS MADE.