Grandma's Orange Kiss-Me Cake

So, have you recovered from Thanksgiving yet? I'm on my way, but still full! While I was down home with my family, I talked to my Mom a lot about family recipes. She remembered this orange cake recipe that her Mother used to make all the time, we found the recipe and decided we had to make it. Seriously, this cake explodes with flavor! It is delicious and I would say just perfect for the holiday season! I did change it up a little to make it vegan. At the bottom of the post I'll give you the vegan and "normal" printer friendly options. I hope you enjoy as much as we do.

Grandma's Orange Kiss-Me Cake

What you'll need:

1 large orange, squeezed and juice reserved for topping

1 cup raisins

1/3 cup walnuts

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature or earth balance

3/4 cup milk or soy milk

2 eggs or 2 very ripe bananas smashed

topping:

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

What you'll do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.

In a food processor, grind the orange (after it's juiced has been squeezed), raisins, and walnuts until blended, but still chunky. Pour into a large bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until smooth and add in the milk. Working in three batches add in the dry ingredients and beat for two minutes.

Add the eggs or bananas and beat an additional 2 minutes.

Fold in the orange, raisin, nut mixture.

Pour into a well greased 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

When the cake is done and still warm, pour the 1/2 cup orange juice over the cake. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts in a bowl and sprinkle over the top.

Let cool and serve.