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Meskouta (Moroccan orange cake)
Meskouta: a simple, fluffy orange sponge baked in a ring tin for tea time
Every Moroccan home cook seems to have a meskouta recipe, the light, fluffy sponge that is baked in a ring tin and set out for afternoon tea, unexpected guests or a children's snack. This one is flavoured with fresh orange juice and zest; many families make a yogurt version instead, using the yogurt pot to measure everything, and that variation is in the steps. The crumb is airy and moist, not too sweet, and it pairs perfectly with mint tea or a glass of milk. No mixer is strictly needed, but it helps. Chef's tip: beat the eggs and sugar for a full 5 minutes until pale and tripled in volume; under-whipped eggs, the usual mistake, make a dense, flat meskouta.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 4 eggsat room temperature
- 7 oz caster sugar
- ¼ oz vanilla sugar
- ½ cup sunflower oilplus extra for the tin
- ½ cup fresh orange juiceor 125 g plain yogurt for the yogurt version
- 2 orangesfinely grated zest only
- 9 oz plain flourplus extra for the tin
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 22–24 cm ring or bundt tin well and dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.
Step 2: Beat 4 eggs with 7 oz caster sugar and ¼ oz vanilla sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until very pale, thick and tripled in volume; when you lift the beaters, the mixture should fall in a ribbon that sits on the surface for a few seconds.
5 minStep 3: With the mixer on low, pour in ½ cup sunflower oil in a thin stream, then ½ cup fresh orange juice, and add 2 oranges. For the yogurt version, add the yogurt here instead of the juice.
Step 4: Sift 9 oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt over the batter and fold in gently with a spatula until no flour streaks remain. Fold, do not stir, to keep the air in.
Step 5: Pour into the tin and bake until risen, golden and a skewer pushed into the thickest part comes out clean. Do not open the oven for the first 25 minutes or it may sink.
38 minStep 6: Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar once cool and serve in slices.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 39 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does meskouta (Moroccan orange cake) take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Tea-time