Navel Orange Shortcake Recipe

If you haven’t seen a shortcake or have never tried one, you might be stuck scratching your head and drawing your brows together when served one since the term “shortcake” doesn’t describe what the confection looks like.

So what is a shortcake? A favorite treat for several hundred years, shortcake is a griddle-baked fat-enriched-grain cake topped with sweet whipped cream and fresh fruits. What makes shortcake “short” is the amount of butter that prevents the shortcake from rising and attaining height. Shortcakes could either be crispy like a biscuit or soft and moist like a cake depending on where the recipe came from – northern cooks make their shortcakes like sweet biscuits, while recipes from the south call for something more like a cake.

Navels in Shortcakes

Strawberries are commonly used to make shortcakes, but you can always put a twist on this classic recipe and make use of in-season fruits to make your shortcake even better.

In just a few days, Navels or winter oranges will be in season and what better way to eat them, aside from eating them fresh, than to add them as an ingredient to a delightfully yummy treat? If you are interested in making your version of shortcake, just follow the simple steps below:

How to make Navel Orange Shortcake

Cook Time: 35-40 mins

Ready In: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 2 Hale Groves Navels, peeled, sectioned, with juice
• 1/4 pound butter or margarine
• Orange Juice (enough to add to existing Navel juice to make 1 quart)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 & 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

1. Place a large sieve over a saucepan and pour orange sections with juice into sieve. Set aside sections and add 1/4 pound butter to juice from oranges. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup orange juice and then add to the juice in the saucepan. Add enough juice to make about a quart. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Set aside to cool.
2. Stir 1/2 cup shortening to soften. Gradually add sugar and cream together until fluffy. Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Alternate adding flour, then milk, a little at a time, beating until smooth. Pour into a 9×13-inch pan and bake in a 375° F oven for approximately 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn out on rack and let cool completely.
3. To assemble: place cake on long platter. With a long, thin-bladed knife, slice the cake in half lengthwise. Carefully lay the top half upside down on another platter.
4. Arrange orange sections all facing the same way, until cake is covered. The pour half the sauce over sections. Place top half of cake carefully on top of bottom half, and repeat the procedure, ending with sauce over the top of finished cake. Serve in squares and pour any leftover sauce on each serving.