This velvety-textured cake hails from the kitchen of veteran cake baker Malcah Sufrin. You can serve it with the syrup or an orange glaze. Either way, add orange sections and blueberries to each serving if you like.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened (250 mL)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (300 mL)
4 eggs, separated
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind (15 mL)
1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
2 cups all-purpose flour (500 mL)
1 1/2 tsp each baking powder (7 mL) and baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
1 1/2 cups sour cream (375 mL)

Syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar (125 mL)
1/2 cup orange juice (125 mL)
1/3 cup orange-flavoured liqueur )75 mL)

Directions
1 Grease 9-inch (2.5 L) fancy or classic Bundt or tube pan; dust with flour. Set aside.

2 In large bowl, beat butter with 1 cup (250 mL) of the sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat in orange rind and vanilla.

3 In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of sour cream. In separate bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites until frothy; beat in remaining sugar, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third into batter; fold in remainder. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top.

4 Bake in centre of 325°F (160°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack.

5 Syrup: Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring sugar, orange juice and liqueur to boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 3/4 cup (175 mL), about 7 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Brush half over warm cake. Let cool. (Make-ahead: Wrap in plastic wrap; store at room temperature for up to 1 day or overwrap in heavy-duty-foil and freeze for up to 1 month.) Serve with remaining syrup.

6 Orange glaze: In bowl, mix 3/4 cup (175 mL) icing sugar with 4 tsp (20 mL) orange juice, adding a little more juice if necessary to make pourable. Slowly pour over cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is dry, about 1 hour.

Turning out a bundt cake
Let a large cake, like a Bundt cake, cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. With knife, gently loosen cake around edge and centre. Place rack over pan. Grasp bottom of pan and, holding rack firmly to top, turn cake over. Lift pan off. If pan sticks, turn cake and rack back over and, with thin flexible plastic blade, loosen cake where it is stuck. The pan should slide off when it’s turned over.

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