Orange Ogura Cake 香橙相思蛋糕
Recently, there have been many posts on Ogura Cake by the baking bloggers. I’m not sure about the meaning of Ogura in Japanese but in Chinese it’s known as xiang Si dan Gao (相思蛋糕), literally means Pining4U or Lovesick Cake. This cake is actually a plain cake but the texture is like a chiffon cake, cottony, light and soft but baked in a normal cake pan. I was very much inspired by many talented bakers who have created Ogura Cakes of different flavours. The most recent ones were posted by Jane and Helena. Jane made the cake with coffee flavour and Helena made hers with rose water and cranberry. I just can’t wait to jump on the bandwagon and made this Orange Ogura Cake. It is no surprise that this cake is a big hit, I just fell in love with it at the first bite. Would you like to join in on this bandwagon too?
Orange Ogura Cake
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Ann Low
Ingredients
- 70g Orange juice
- 40g Vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 55g Hong Kong Flour/Plain flour or Cake flour
- zest from 2 oranges
- 4 Egg yolks + 1 whole egg (60g each)
- 150g Egg white
- ¼ tsp Cream of tartar
- 60g Sugar
Instructions
- Line baking sheet at the bottom of an ungreased 7 inch square pan. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C with a tray of boiling water on the most bottom rack.
- Whisk egg yolks,and vegetable oil until frothy and add orange juice, mix well. Sift in flour, salt and orange zest, mix well set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white, cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add castor sugar till peak form (not stiff).
- Mix ⅓ of meringue with yolk batter with a rubber spatula. Then pour in remaining meringue. Fold gently to mix well.
- Pour batter into pan and tap pan lightly to remove air bubbles.
- Steam bake for 40 minutes at 160°C and bake for another 20 minutes at lower temperature 140°C.
- Remove cake immediately after baked and invert cake on wire rack to cool.
香橙相思蛋糕
材料：
- 70克 鲜橙汁
- 40克 菜油
- 1/2茶匙 盐
- 55克 水仙面粉/普通面粉/低筋面粉
- 2粒 鲜橙皮屑
- 4粒 蛋黄+一粒鸡蛋 （约60克）
- 150克 蛋白
- 1/4茶匙 塔塔粉
- 60克 细糖
做法：
- 准备一个7准方模，底部铺纸。预热烤箱致160摄氏度。放入一个盘子在烤箱最低下格，倒入热水。
- 把蛋黄及菜油搅拌致小泡，序加入橙汁拌匀，筛入水仙面粉，盐和橙皮屑，拌匀。
- 蛋白及塔塔粉打致小泡沫，分次加入细糖。半打在起泡不跌。
- 将1/3蛋白霜和蛋黄面糊翻拌均匀。然后倒入剩下的蛋白霜，再翻拌均匀即可。
- 倒入烤盘，轻轻把起泡敲出。
- 用水蒸法，先以160度烤约40分钟，再减致140度20分钟。
- 蛋糕出炉放在网架倒扣，即刻脱模，待完全冷却才切割享用。
Telling me about it … I still haven't got the confidence to try it. This orange flavour looks good too …
Ann, I like that "do it with 平常心…thanks
Chris, just do it with '平常心', like whipping a chiffon cake.
That looks so amazing and yummy!I definitely have to try it. You make such great things :X
Thanks Abigail 🙂
i must try this…look so tempting!!
Yeah!
It looks simple, but I guess that is the secret why it it is so good 🙂 Looks like realy perfect simple spongy cake!
Medeja, have a try. Is quite easy to bake this cake.
Ann, Ogura Cake comes to your house too 🙂 I love to have a slice of this orange ogura cake, the taste must be very refreshing with the orange zest flavour!
Tze,there are so many flavours that I wanted to try and I tried this simple one first.
wonderful ogura cake with fresh squeeze orange juice and the zest definitely bring the cake into a deeper depth if flavour
Jong, I'm sure you can bake this too! This is is full of orange fragrance.
相思,相思,你终于都相思咯!
就是咯!Eileen昨天也做了,感觉我中了很深的相思蛋糕病。。。哈哈。。
Ann, made me so jealous I cannot eat this! LOL. I love the lovely colour this cake produces. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me I haven't bake one for a while. 🙂
Jane, Why? Allergic? Can use other flavours like pandan, green tea, coffee or even chocolate.
Ann, not allergic. Can see, cannot eat, so jealous lor! LOL. No no, I love orange. I must bake this.
Ann, I love your orange ogura cake!
I think, I'll join in… your pics are so awesome, gives me the inspiration!
Yes, please join in 🙂 Looking forward to it!
Hi Ann… Thank's for share this recipe. I've tried it. So yummy.. delicious taste. Proud of you
Hi AnnI tried your cake but it did not raise? I m using a 8 inch tin. Is it ok? RegardsEsther
Good morning Esther, The cake should be used in a 7 inch square or 8 inch round cake pan. It does not really rise much because no baking powder used. My cake was about 2 1/2 inches high. The reason for the zest to sink was probably due to you have not mixed the batter well with the egg white. You may whisk the egg white a little more firm next time.
Can this recipe be used to make cupcakes?Can use cardboard liner or wax liner?Also if cuocakes, what's the temp & timing ?Thanks heaps…
Hi,Referring to your 3 questions, I'm sorry that I can't give you the answers right now as I've never tried either one of these method. I'd definitely try to bake this cake in cupcake liner one day.
Ann, this must be a cake that smells heavenly and fills the whole house with orange fragrance. Can't wait to try this out.
Hi Ann, I encountered this problem , when I inverted the cake to cool the top layer gets stuck and peels off.
Hi Pauline, Thank you very much for your comment. Hope you'll love this cake 🙂
many thanks
Hi Wee, Your cake top layer still moist was because is not fully baked yet. You need to bake for another 3-5 minutes to get a nice top layer.
Una pregunta, cuando le haces esas rayas al cake? Te quedó expectacular, un bico
Hi Ann, thanks for the recipe. Guess what, I baked one on Sat night and another this morning. They both turned out nice and fluffy!
Hi Ann, I notice all bakers used 7 inch square pan. Can I use 7 inch round springform pan instead?Thanks, JJmum
Hi JJmum, Yes but the cake will be taller. You must also wrap the cake tin with aluminium foil to prevent water sips into the cake tin.
Hi Ann, thanks for your prompt reply. I bake the cake today and it almost "explode" as I filled up to 80% of the pan. It end up with some cracks and sinks but tastes great. I will definitely try again using square pan. JJmum
Hi,Do you recommend using fan mode for the initial baking period?Also can this cake be bake in chiffon pan? thanksMarb
Hi Marb,Sorry I'm not sure for the baking period because my oven don't have the fan mode.If the batter is too light, I think is better to bake this cake in a bundt pan.
Hi, I followed your recipe exactly but my cake cracked very badly. Do you possibly know any reasons which may lead to this?
Hi Michelle, sorry for the late reply. I put the hot water in the tray just before starting to bake.
Hi Ann,The centre of my cake also turn out extremely moist. Do I put the hot water in when I begin to preheat the oven or do I only place the water before I start to bake? Sorry for the many questions. Thank you. Michelle
Hi Ann,I placed hot water at the lowest rack and place my cake on the second layer is this water bath? Thanks. Michelle
Hi Michelle, Did you bake the cake in water bath? The cracking on the cake might be also due to you've beaten the egg whites to too stiff.
Michelle, yes this is correct. So the reason of the cracked on the make might be due to the egg white or lower the temperature.
I made this just awhile ago. taste amazing~! But i failed to make the egg whites properly since i don't have a stand mixer. Therefore, my cake isn't as spongy as it should be. Any hints for my egg whites? on how to make stiff peaks?
Hand whisking the egg whites to stiff is very tiring. Actually you can buy a hand electric mixer for whisking the egg whites.
This cake looks really soft and delicious! I have not made a cake in a long time. Maybe I should try this one. I like the orange flavoring 🙂
Your ogura cake looks so perfectly baked. Really pretty!
Ann, 什么都难不到你的!第一次的相思就美美登场了!赞。。
May, 呵呵。。。都是被网友的美美的相思蛋糕吸引住啦。
Hi, Ann! I think I'm the only one here who still doesn't dare to take the challenge, oh, I'm such a chicken, hehehe! I love orange flavour & your cake certainly look very soft & light there! Realise that you didn't need to line the side of the pan, still very easy to remove the cake out?
Jessie, I'm sure you can do it. Just like whipping a chiffon cake.
嘻嘻!欢迎搭上’相思列车’,蛋糕美美的,我们今天交换吃咯!
好啊好啊!我们就在custom见,不要忘记带蛋糕哦!
thanks ann, i think i will join but may b a little bit late to try. my two boy sick so i very busy by this moment. thanks for your invitation.
Xing Hui, Health is more important than anything else. Can always bake later.
Hi Ann! I'm not a baking expert… but this cake sure looks very professionally done!
Thank you, Alvin 🙂
Really nice cake, really want to bake it immediately 🙂
Ann , the texture sort of like the Japanese cheesecake ?! …Did you coat or spray the wire rack before putting on the cake ? Your ogura looks TERRIFIC ! Will try it sometime 😛 😀 Wonderful presentation and photos as always !
Anne, this cake texture is more like a chiffon cake. No, I used the original wire rack that I bought from the baking supplies store.
很久没吃你做的好料了,今天一定不能错过让我朝思暮想的相思蛋糕,哈哈哈!
Angie, 真的很久没看到你上帖子,赶快过来吃。。。还有茶水等着你呢 🙂
I am finally going to bake this cake, can I know whether the cake will brown fast, if yes, do you actually need to cover with aluminium foil before it gets too brown? And I no need to sieve the batter before pouring into the cake pan? Sorry for my silly questions.
Hi Goody Egg, As oven temperature varies, some cakes are quick to brown. If that the case just cover loosely with an aluminium foil. No need to sieve the batter at all, just like the way you handle the chiffon cake batter.
Thanks for your prompt reply.
what an wonderful cake, looks ultra gorgeous so fresh and light! loved the pattern from the wire rack!
Hi there. I have baked this cakes twice and while it rose beautifully in the oven, it shrunk beyond recognition after I started removing the cake pan and parchment paper. Could you please tell me where I have gone wrong?I lined the cake pan all around, sides and bottom. I inverted the cake immediately after removing the cake from the oven then I removed the cake pan followed by the parchment paper? Are these steps correct? Should I let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing it? Or I should I not line the sides of the pan? Sorry for the many questions but it certainly was very disheartening to see a tall cake shrunk to a thickness of a mere 2cm!!!:-< regards, natasha
I think I had similar problem with the cake shrunk about an inch or so, after taking it out from the oven and immediately inverted the cake to the rack. Egg whites were beat until they reached stiff peak and while the mixture promised a nice rise cake, that didn't happen after the cake was taken out from the oven. I've done researches from others and a few suggested to leave the oven door slightly open before taking the cake out from the oven, but this didn't work either! Anyway, your cake looked absolutely stunning, Ann! And thanks, for posting it!
Hi Natasha, sorry to hear that. I understand how sad you are when your cake not turning out well. I only lined bottom of the cake pan and scrape the sides of the cake pan once the cake is out of the oven, and immediately invert the cake on the wire rack to cool.I think your problem is the egg whites still at a little soft peak after whisking. You may whisk the whites a little longer next time.The method of making this cake is not much difference to chiffon cake. Don't give yourself too much pressure 🙂
Perfection, from the crumb, colour and photography, Ann!
Ann~~多么fresh的^^
Hai!我剛學烘焙,我沒有cream of tartar可以不放嗎?不放會有何影嚮?把蛋糕脫模invert on wire rack to cool,蛋糕表層不會黏在鐵網嗎? 🙂
謝謝!那我就跟着食谱走. 🙂
这蛋糕就跟戚风蛋糕差不多一样,只要把蛋糕时间烤得够,蛋糕表层就不会有问题了。我觉得假如你是新手的话,最好是跟着食谱的需要走。这蛋糕的水分比较多,不加cream of tartar 可能会影响到蛋白的组织,你可以参考Helena和Jane的做法。
This cake looks really good!!
Hi Ann, I’ve been looking for a nice sponge cake and I tried baking this cake today. It smelt lovely when the cake was baking. But when I checked the cake at the first 30 mins (at 160deg) the top was a nice golden colour but there were large cracks across the cake. I tested it with a satay stick and it was already cooked. I turned the oven down to 140deg for a few mins but I didn’t want the cake to overbake so I tool it out, ran a knife around the side and turn over onto wire rack.
The top was cracked from the oven and the sides were not even, certain parts on the sides “collapsed”. But the texture of the cake was very nice. Appreciate your advice. Thanks.
Hi Jennifer,
There are 2 reasons that probably made your cake cracked.
1. As oven temperature varies, your oven is too hot that causes the outside of the cake cooks at a much faster rate than the inside.
2. Over whisked of egg whites to too dry.
Your cake is still not fully baked yet, that was why the cake collapsed (same like baking chiffon cake).
Ann
Thank you Ann, the texture of the cake was good though, I will try again.
Hi, Ann
Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil? Also is it a must to steam bath?
Thanks & God bless 🙂
Hi Lilyn, Yes you can use melted butter if prefer. You can don’t steam bake the cake but texture will be different.
Hi, Ann
Thanks. Will give it a try.
God bless 🙂
Hi Ann,
I would like to bake a Vanilla Ogura cake, can you advise on how to make adjustment to your recipe?
Thank you.
Mudpie
Thanks Ann, will give it a try.
Hi Sue-Anne, Change the orange juice to milk and add 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
Hi Ann, thanks for your lovely recipe. I tried it two days ago. It came out nice but when i inverted the cake, i can see the bottom and side were rather wet. Is this normal? Thank you.
Hi Patricia, Probably the steam baked water have sipped into the cake pan during baking. You can wrap the pan with aluminium foil when you bake this cake again.
Thanks for the tip, Ann! I’ll definitely try it again. Have a nice day!
I would really like to try this recipe. However i have tried a similar one in the past and the cake rose so loads and deflated completely. I think its hard to get the temperature right as i am using a fan forced oven- do you know much i would need to adjust the temperature? Also, I don't know when the cake is done. The toothpick/skewer method doesnt work for chiffon cakes as I find that the cake is often still underbaked and soggy/dense even though the toothpick comes out clean- do you have any advice on when to take the cake out? Thanks so much for the recipe- it looks really good. Wish i could make it like that! – Jen
Hi Jen, This cake should be under slow bake at low temp. Using force fan will force the cake cook faster at the outer layer.For chiffon cake,it's best to place the cake pan at the 2nd lower rack in the oven. You may also extend the baking time by 5 -7 mins longer.
Hi Ann, i have a round pan 18.5cm and height of 7cm. Can I just follow the amount given in your recipe?
Hi Ann, I inverted the cake immediately onto a wire rack as per instruction, but the top layer sticks to the wire when I turn the cake over after cooling… What should I do to prevent that from happening??
Hi, The top side of your cake is still a little moist. You need to bake your cake a few mins longer to prevent the top side of the cake sticking to the wire rack.If you're afraid the same thing happen, then place a non-stick baking sheet over the cake before turning it out.
Hi Ann! I baked this Orange Ogura Cake today using your recipe! The cake turned out ok. It didn't cracked but a little wrinkled upon cooling and the top gotten brown 10-15 minutes into the baking so i put aluminim foil abt 35 mins into the baking time.
And the cake is little short too – abt 1.4 inches.(i used 1 *" round pan) Otherwise soft and moist too. Can you show me how to improve pls?
Hi Wendy, You've used a wrong cake pan. 6" x 3 is definitely smaller than a 7" square pan. My cake pan is 7" square x 3" high and after the cake was baked the cake shrunk to about 2.5" high.
Hi Wendy, What is the size of your cake pan, 7 or 8" round? The cake should be higher if you used a 7" round cake pan.
Hi Ann, i used a 8" round pan as i don't have a 7" round pan! today i practised again and this time i used a 6" x 3" (and the batter filled 90% of the tin – recipe using 3 eggs) and the cake rose higher than the tin and almost hit the roof of my oven and when i took it out of the oven, it shrunk like nobody's business and (i banged it on the table to prevent the shrinking) and now shrunk to 1.5 inches. How to prevent shrinkage? Where did i go wrong? Please comment and i want to get it right! Thaniks!
Hahaha! okok i've got it – i bought a 7" square pan already and will try again. Hope to get a nice cake this time something close to your beautifully baked cake. Is it true that it's more difficult to bake with a square than a round pan??
It looks so delicious. Have a nice day.
Hi Ann
Would love to try to bake ogura cake one day though Im still have not got full confident in it. The only problem I might face is the oven temperature only.
Mel, I just followed Helena baking time and the cake turned out perfect.
I love ogura cakes, I have not bake this cake well yet. Yours is wonderful and yummy!
Jozelyn, Try again with '平常心'.
Great recipe, I love the refreshing taste of orange! I may have missed out something, but can I know where does the 1/4 tsp salt in the ingredient list goes when we are making the batter? Thanks Ann 🙂
Hi, Sorry about that. Add the salt into the flour and sift together.
Hi Anne,
I baked this cake today. It didn’t turn out so well-it was rising beautifully at first and started to crack. About 4 mins before the 40 mins mark at 160C, I turned the temperature down to 140C because I noticed that the cake was starting to come off at the sides and it had shrunk a little bit. About 5 mins after turning to 140C, I saw the cake had substantially shrunk ? so I stopped and took it out. It was a sad sight ?. Can you help me figure out what went wrong? I beat the egg whites with cream of tartar together and soon when it became more frothy, I added raw sugar instead of castor sugar. There was a curve to the meringue and I think the meringue is not too stiff. The meringue’s hook shape could stand by itself in the mixer. I then mixed the batter as instructed and out into oven fan force 160C. After 36 mins baking, I noticed the cake starting to come off by the sides. So turned it down to 140C thinking it’s almost done. I had baking sheets on all 4 sides of the cake tin. I used a 6×10 inch loaf tin.cakecame out measuring about 3cm tall.
Appreciate your advice. Thank you.
Hi Jonaline,
Did you place a pan of water below the cake when baking? I didn’t use force fan to bake the cake as it will dries up the cake before it’s fully baked. I think you should whisk the egg whites a little stiffer so that the cake will not shrink too much.
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your advice. I tried again today with vanilla Ogura. This time the egg whites were whisked a bit stiffer and I lined only the bottom of the pan. The cake turned out to be much better than yesterday’s although it did shrink by about 1/4 of its original height fresh from the oven. Not sure if it’s supposed to do that’s. The texture is a bit like that of a chiffon cake -light, fluffy and melt in the mouth! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and being so generous with your knowledge!