flustered brown sugar and orange cake

First, it’s one minor defeat, then another, and it’s beginning to feel like a pattern of failures. The stress that’s building is heading toward panic and dangerously close to quitting territory. It’s frayed nerves, physical and mental clumsiness, and agitated confusion - it’s threatening to overwhelm the system. It’s that flustered feeling again...

It takes over if there’s no simplifying the situation. Ignoring it, or worse, trying to stick it out, leads to more struggle. Consider taking a breather, reassessing the situation, and managing your priorities. Step away from this flustered mood (and bake).

I'm feeling...

Bake cake. A sweet cake. A simple, comforting, easy cake.

A cake...

that’s bright, citrusy, and tart,

with a delightfully fluffy yet perfectly dense crumb,

with a refreshing uncomplicatedness to it,

that’s as easy to enjoy as any cake should be,

and that’s a mood all on its own...

TLDR:

Flustered?
Bake
Brown Sugar and Orange Cake
Bright, Citrusy, Tart
Effortless

This cake is effortless, it’s a delight to enjoy, and it has a brightening effect that smooths out the mood.

brown sugar and orange cake

01:30

00:25

01:05

Prep time: 25 minutes, Bake time: 55-65 minutes

Makes 1 bundt cake

Ingredients

3 ½ cups (532 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cup (320 g) brown sugar
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 cup orange juice

Instructions

Shift into baking!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer beat the oil and brown sugar together for about a minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating at high speed for each, until the mixture lightens in color.

Simple...

Stir in the vanilla, milk, and orange juice.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Effortless.

Liberally coat a bundt cake pan with spray oil. Then pour the cake batter into it.

Bake for 55-65 minutes. It’s ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

It’s baking at its best – fun and easy with a just enough effort to keep it interesting!

Let the cake rest in the bundt pan for 10 minutes. Then slowly, holding the edges of the bundt pan, shake it just a little so as to loosen the cake from the pan. Let the cake rest in the pan for an additional 10 minutes.

Turn the cake out of the pan to cool on a wire rack.

This cake is just the thing to shift you out of the flustered mood. Take your time, enjoy the process, and you’ll end up with a fluffy, citrusy, delightful snack!

Feel. Bake. Better.

It’s not just about baking something to get you through the day.

It’s not about eating the whole tray to feel better.

It’s about getting lost in the process.

It’s about enjoying every moment.

It’s about sharing it with people that support and care about you.

Baking can be a lot of things – it can be distracting but simple, it can be movement with focus, it can be whatever you need when you need it. Choose a recipe to fit the mood and it becomes a useful tool as well – baking to quiet the mind, to connect with your emotions, or simply baking to feel emotional. Just think of the feelings you get and the emotions you experience when baking your favourite dessert…. excitement, relief, fulfillment, joy, accomplishment.

At Emotional Baking, our recipes can be the starting point to somewhere - it can lead you to a place of great comfort, one that feels like the beginning of something, something good...

A note for anyone who needs it:

Baking, while wonderful, can only help so much...

If you’re struggling in any way,

If you feel alone or you need help,

Contact your primary care physician or follow the links below to find help in your area. You are never alone!

For Canada:

https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/looking-for-local-resources-support/

http://worldhelplines.org/canada.html

For United States:

http://worldhelplines.org/usa.html

Worldwide:

http://worldhelplines.org/

EmotionalBaking

Feel. Bake. Better.