Appearances can be deceiving...

Ok, so the cake I want to share with you today may not win any beauty prizes, but it should not be overlooked just because of its humble appearance. I ran across this recipe on Baking Bites a few months ago, and even though the picture didn't dazzle me, I had a feeling that this simple little cake would be right up my alley! This recipe is so great, because it's easy and quick, but yields a moist and tender little cake with terrific flavor--like a Creamsicle in cake form! As a matter of fact, I whipped this up on a weeknight, and it took no more time than making something (full of chemicals) from a boxed mix. While my dear roomie was throwing something together for dinner, I focused on dessert, and both were ready in under an hour! This one is a keeper to be revisited again and again...

Orange Sour Cream (or Yogurt!) Cake
(Source: Baking Bites)
Serves 8 (um...or maybe 6! tee hee)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice, preferably fresh
1/2 cup sour cream (I swapped out some thick, homemade yogurt)
*I also added a teaspoon of vanilla for more of that Creamsicle quality!

Topping
1/2 cup sugar (granulated, not confectioners’)
3 1/2 tbsp orange juice, preferably fresh
*I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the glaze, too.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and orange zest (and vanilla!) until light. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat mixture until smooth and well-combined. Mix in one third of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream. Mix in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the orange juice. Stir in all remaining flour, mixing until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

When the cake has finished baking, whisk together glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake (I poked holes all over mine with a skewer first). Allow glaze to soak in while cake cools. Allow cake to cool completely before slicing. (I added a big dollop of whipped cream!)