I would have prefer to call this the Orange Cotton Cake, cos the texture of this cake is really soft like cotton (almost fragile .... so scared that I will accidentally flatten it). The cake is very light, airy and moist. It is almost similar to chiffon.
First attempt on this cake, so I did my reading up on ogura cakes, from various bloggers to see if there are any important tips on making this cake. A quick summary on this cake:
1) Many eggs used - 6 eggs (AA grade), for a mere 7" square cake.
2) Similar method as making a chiffon cake, i.e. egg yolk batter and egg white prepared separately and combine using folding method.
3) Egg white should be whisked till peak, but not stiff peak (this really put your judgement skill to a test).
4) Steam bake in hot oven at 190C for 10 to 15 minutes, then reduce to a lower range of 140C to 160C for approximately 50 minutes.
Thanks to all the bloggers who have shared their valuable experience on making this cake!
Recipe:
(makes one 7" or 8" square cake)
(A)
5 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
45g corn oil
80g orange juice
2 tsp grated orange zest
Pinch of salt
(B): 75g superlite flour, top flour or plain flour, sifted
(C)
200g egg white (about 5 egg whites)
70g fine sugar + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Method:
1) Whisk (A) together till frothy (except for the orange zest). Add in (B) sifted flour, a little at a time and mix well into the batter. If there are still lumps of flour in the batter, sieve to obtain a smooth batter. Add in the orange zest and mix well.
[Note: At this stage, some bloggers advised to keep the prepared batter away from wind. Not sure why this is important. In any case, the weather is so hot now that there's hardly any breeze, so I just leave it aside while I whisk the egg whites]
2) Whisk (C) till peak. Take 1/4 of egg white and fold into step 1. Then fold in the rest of the egg white till well combined.
3) Pour the batter into 7" square pan and gently tap the pan to level the batter and to remove large air bubbles trapped in the batter.
[Note: Bottom of the pan must be lined (no need to grease). But the sides? Some bloggers lined the sides of the pan - obviously for easy removal of cake after baking. Some did not line or grease the sides (not sure if they used loose-bottomed pan or ordinary pan). I used a ordinary pan and only line the bottom (sides no line no grease). After baking, the cake stick onto the sides and I need to run the blade of a knife along the sides to loosen the cake. Next time, I shall line the sides to see if it works better for me]
4) Steam bake the cake at the lowest rack in preheated oven of 190C for 10 minutes, lower to 160C for another 10 minutes. Finally, lower the temperature to 140C and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes.
[Note: Oven temperature is an area where you need to do a little trial & error adjustment, since each oven works differently]
5) Remove cake from oven and invert the cake onto rack to cool completely before cutting.
