Campfire Sourdough Orange Cake
This sourdough vanilla cake, cooked in an orange over a campfire, will make you want to go camping every day of the week!
One of my favorite things about camping is the lack of prep and cleanup when it comes to mealtime. Allowing the campfire to do the cooking for you is where it’s at, and so easy when you’ve planned ahead. This “Campfire Sourdough Orange Cake” literally takes the cake when it comes to the ease and “coolness” of camping food!
If you missed our first installment of “Dinner with a View”, be sure to check it out. The Sweet Potato Hash Recipe is one we all should have in our repertoire. We hope you’re seeing that, with a little forethought, gourmet camping is a cinch. When you’ve planned ahead, it’s not much harder than opening up a can of beans and weenies!
And once you’ve fallen in love with this sourdough recipe, you can be even happier knowing this cake can be made as cupcakes or a bundt cake, enjoying those sourdough benefits year round.
This recipe is featured in our Sourdough eBook! If you love easy and delicious sourdough recipes (including gluten-free options!), click here!
Campfire Sourdough Orange Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup sourdough starter fed and ready to use
- 1 cup whole milk raw, if possible
- 2 1/2 cups organic unbleached white flour
- 1 1/2 cups organic sugar
- 1 cup organic coconut oil melted*
- 1 tsp grated orange zest from an organic orange
- 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 organic eggs
- Orange peels see directions below
- Tinfoil for baking in the campfire
For the Glaze
- 3-4 Tbs orange juice
- 2 cups organic powdered sugar or make your own in the blender!
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough starter and milk. Add flour and stir to combine. Cover with a plate and let sit at room temperature for 6 hours. (Batter may rise slightly, based on the strength of your starter, this step is to neutralize the flour, making it easier to digest.)
- In a stand mixer, whisk together sugar, coconut oil, orange zest, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking to incorporate each. The mixture will look gloopy, that’s normal! (If baking in an oven, preheat to 350 degrees F and grease muffin tin well, or line with cupcake liners.)
- Combine the sourdough mixture to the sugar/oil mixture and whisk until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure no lumps remain. The mixture should be smooth, but a bit runny for a cake batter.
- Cut oranges in half around the “equator” and carefully remove the orange slices. (Snack on these as you wait, or reserve for another time.)
- Fill each orange half with batter (about 2/3 full) and carefully close the halves together, wrapping tightly in three or four layers of tinfoil. (Or, fill muffin tins 2/3 full.)
- Carefully place wrapped orange cakes into the coals of a hot fire (avoiding the flame, if possible) and bake for 20-30 mins, rotating your cake 2-3 times to avoid burning. Test cake by carefully opening foil and poking with a toothpick. If it’s too moist/dense, toss it back on the coals for another 5 mins.
- Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes while you make your glaze (or get the baggy ready from the cooler).
- Whisk together powdered sugar and 2 Tbs orange juice. Continue adding orange juice, a teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Place frosting in a small zip top bag, and when ready to frost, carefully cut the corner away and drizzle over cakes.
- Once cakes are cool enough to handle, remove the tinfoil and carefully peel back the orange peel. Drizzle with frosting and enjoy!
- Bundt Cake Option: You can also make this cake in a bundt pan. Extend the baking time to 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Drizzle with orange glaze before serving.
Notes
- We recommend using refined coconut oil for this cake to avoid an overpowering coconut flavor (the orange really should be the star!). However, if you like the coconutty taste of unrefined coconut oil, that’s perfectly fine to use as well!
Nutrition
