Orange Cake
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
(180gm)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt 1 pinch of salt
(for whipping egg whites)
1/2 cup butter/margarine, at room temperature
(112gm)
3/4 cup sugar, grinded
(150gm)
2 large eggs (or 3 small ones), at room temperature juice from 1 orange
(one third of a cup) zest from 1 orange
(about 1 tbsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla essence
Simple Orange Glaze Ingredients
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp. orange zest (optional)
4-5 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

Instructions
First, separate the yolks from the egg whites. Set aside in different bowls.
Grate the zest off the orange using a zester or the fine plane of your grater. Take care to ONLY grate the orange, not the white part (pith). The white part is very bitter and will change the taste of your cake, so keep turning the orange as you zest it.
Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line an 8" round pan.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Next add the orange juice, vanilla essence and orange zest and beat. Add the flour and beat it in. Set aside.
Wash the whisk attachments and dry them well. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add a pinch of salt to them and keep beating until the egg whites form stiff peaks. The salt helps to stabilize the egg whites.
Add a third of the egg whites into the cake batter and stir it in with a spatula or wooden spoon (NOT THE MIXER), this will help loosen the batter slightly. Then add half of the remaining egg whites and very very gently fold the whites in until just incorporated. Add the remaining egg whites and fold until mixed in. Avoid over-mixing the batter as this will deflate the egg whites.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer stuck in the center comes out clean.
Turn the cake on to a cake rack, discard the greaseproof paper and allow to cool completely.
Dust with icing/powdered sugar or serve with dollops of freshly whipped cream. You can grate some orange rind over the cream for presentation and an extra burst of flavour.

Apple-pie
Ingredients for Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 cup
VERY COLD unsalted butter
6-8 tbsp. ice-cold water

Ingredients for Pie Filling
5
tart apples, peeled
1/2 cup sugar (you can mix brown and white if you have both n if you prefer a sweeter pie, make this measurement three-quarter cup instead of half)
2 tbsp. flour 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
(optional)
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions
For the Crust
Mix all the dry ingredients into a bowl and put the bowl into the freezer for about half an hour. The colder the crust ingredients, the flakier the crust will be. Cut the butter into small pieces and put back in the fridge to get them as cold as possible as well.
Add the butter into the flour and rub in quickly using fingertips or a dough blender if you have one. Don't over-mix. Once flakey and crumbly, add the very ice-cold water a little at a time and knead together. But don't over-work the dough, the less you handle it the better the results. The dough should be firm, not sticky. If it gets too sticky you can add a bit of flour.
Divide the dough into two halves, wrap each half separately in cling film and refrigerate for about half an hour. In the meantime you can start preparing your filling.
For the Pie Filling
Peel and slice apples, then soak them in a bowl full of water that has been mixed with the lemon juice. This preserves the apples color.
In a large bowl mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt n vinegar.
Drain the apple slices from the lemon water and add them to the mixture, stirring well to make sure they are fully coated.
Method of preparing the pie.
Remove the first crust dough ball from the fridge and roll it out to about an eighth of an inch thickness.
Wrap it around your rolling pan, lift gently and unroll it in your pie pan. Once shaped to fit the inside of your pan, dump in the filling and place about 4 small chunks of butter on top of the filling to give the pie a rich flavor.
Remove second dough ball from fridge and roll it out. Cover the pie and shape the edge with fingers or knife. Make slits to let the steam out during baking. If you prefer a lattice finish like the one I've used in mine, cut the 2nd rolled out dough ball into strips and create a patterns then pinch the edges together.
Cut long strips of tinfoil and place around the edge of the pie to prevent it from burning during baking. You will remove the foil about 10mins before the pie is done.
Bake at 175 degrees C for about 40 mins first. Remove the pie and uncover the foil, brush with egg yolk and put it back in the oven without the foil for another 10mins or so until the color is golden brown.
Don't be tempted to cut into your pie immediately. Normally the filling will be a bit wet, and has to be given at least 2 hours to set before serving. Just keep the pie in its pan for as long as you can before slicing. Tastes best with vanilla ice-cream.