Making your favourite Arab dishes is easier than ever with this contemporary guide to effortless Middle Eastern cooking from Maha Kailani, creator of Make Delicious Happen. These showstopping recipes honour all the vibrant flavours of traditional Arab cuisine but use quick shortcuts and helpful appliances like the Instant Pot® and Air Fryer to cut down on prep and cook time. Breeze through incredible yet simplified recipes such as:

• Flavour Bomb One-Pot Chicken Kabseh
• Skillet Beef Shawarma
• Dawood Basha (Syrian- Style Kofta Meatballs and Pomegranate Potato Casserole)
• Quick Palestinian Msakhan Rolls
• Traditional Tangy Tabbouleh
• Classic Lebanese Fattoush
• Cheat Baba Ghanouj
• Deconstructed Makdoos on Flatbread
• Labneh Toast with Za’atar, Mint and Honey
• Blender Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake
• 30-Minute Knafeh Skillet

Thanks to Maha’s ingenious methods for cutting down time and effort in the kitchen, you’ll spend less time cooking and more time gathered around the table, sharing delicious Arab cuisine with those you love.

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Blender Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake

This orange cake is popular with many families, especially during orange harvest season on the Mediterranean, when oranges are plentiful and super sweet. It is very moist and bursting with fresh orange flavor with the added fruitiness of olive oil. This cake was made by my grandmother and my mother alike. It was always served to last-minute guests because it is quick to put together. I have simplified it even further with the help of a blender to emulsify the eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt and orange juice. The orange olive oil glaze is optional—if you are really pressed for time, you can omit it and still enjoy a delicious and moist cake. But it comes together without too much effort, so I’d encourage you to include the glaze, if you can.

Makes 1 bundt cake

Bundt Cake

Nonstick spray or canola oil, for pan

3 large eggs

1 cup (200 g) sugar

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (58 g) plain yogurt (see note)

Zest of 1 large orange

¾ cup (175 ml) fresh orange juice

1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract

1⅔ cups (208 g) all-purpose flour

3½ tbsp (28 g) cornstarch

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp (14 g) baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Orange Olive Oil Glaze

1¾ cups (210 g) powdered sugar

Zest of ½ orange

¼ cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice

1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease your Bundt pan well.

In a blender, combine the eggs, sugar, olive oil, yogurt, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla, and blend until well incorporated, about 30 seconds.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add half of the egg mixture to the flour mixture, and whisk for about a minute. Add the rest of the egg mixture to the flour mixture, and whisk until you do not see any flour. Being careful not to over whisk, make sure all the flour is absorbed.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out the cake onto a wire rack to further cool down.

If you are making the glaze, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange zest, orange juice and olive oil until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled orange cake.

Note:

You can use Greek yogurt for the cake. I usually use what I have on hand.

Reprinted with permission from Yalla, Let’s Eat! by Maha Kailani. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: Saleme Fayad.