Eggless Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

An "eggetarian" is someone who is a vegetarian but still eats eggs, funny concept right? While my family is an eggetarian family, we were invited to a vegetarian family's house for dinner. So, while I have made a with-egg version of this recipe, this is the eggless version, and trust me when I say, this version is so much better!! Also, the cream cheese icing is completely optional, and the cake tastes super good with or without it (I prefer with but that's me!)

Info

• Preparation time: 20 minutes (Including the icing)

• Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients (for the cake)

• 1 cup wheat flour/all-purpose flour

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp baking soda

• a pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup unsalted room-temperature butter

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/8 cup orange juice

• 1 tsp orange zest

Ingredients (for the cream cheese icing)

• 1/2 cup cream cheese (softened)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoon honey

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp orange zest (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and dust or line a loaf pan with some parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan

• In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set it aside

• In another mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until it looks pale and fluffy. Next add the vanilla extract, orange zest, orange juice, and the milk. Beat again to incorporate everything.

• Now add the sifted flour mixture in parts and gently fold the wet ingredients with the dry. Do not over mix or the cake would turn out denser. The resulting batter is a bit thick, but if it is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.

• Pour the batter into the tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

• While the cake is baking, we can start on the icing(again this is completely optional and not required!). In a bowl, add the cream cheese and whip it with a stand/handheld mixer or a whisk. Beat until the cream cheese is smooth and then add the heavy cream, and whip again.

• Now, coat your teaspoon with a little bit of oil to prevent the honey from sticking. Add the honey to your cream cheese, and heavy cream mixture. Then, add the vanilla extract and orange zest.

• Whip again, to incorporate all the ingredients. Your cream cheese icing is now ready!

• Let the cake cool for a while on a cooling rack.

• Add the icing on the cake in any design you want. Enjoy!!!