Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Cheri's Summer Squash Orange Cake

This cake was such a hit! Thanks Mom! I've had so many requests for the recipe I decided to just post it here :) Enjoy, and let me know if you try any modifications. The next batch I make I'm going to try substituting apple sauce for some of the oil to try and make it a bit more "figure friendly".

My mom says she has used both yellow and zucchini squashes – it makes no difference. I made it with yellow squash and it was delicious, even though my friend Joi said that squash and cake do not belong together. LOL

Ingredients

3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ¾ cup brown sugar
1 whole orange
4 eggs
1 ½ cups grated squash
Handful of Craisins

Handful of chopped nuts (I used slivered almonds)

Cut the orange into eight chunks and place in a blender (including the skin) along with the eggs, sugar and vegetable oil. Blend until smooth.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour blenderized ingredients into the dry ingredients. (Is blenderized a word...hmmm). Stir until blended.
Stir in squash, Craisins and nuts.
Pour into a 10 inch tube pan or 2 loaf pans sprayed with baking PAM.
Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes.

You can frost it, sprinkle it with powdered sugar or eat it plain. My mom likes to make a glaze from Whaler’s Vanilla Rum and powdered sugar and apply while still warm. I didn't have any vanilla rum so I just made a glaze with powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. It was yummy!