Friday cakeblogging returns with two of my favourite flavours-chocolate and orange. And yes, I am quite fond of Jaffa Cakes, and no, we can not find them in Nebraska. I’m also partial to Droste Chocolate Oranges, but as the American dollar is not worth as much these days, imported chocolate from Holland is a bit steep for our budget (I did purchase a box of powdered Droste cocoa which I ration-$8.00 a box!). So yes, chocolate and orange are a combination I can really enjoy-when I can actually eat.
I did get a very small piece. I’ll pay for it, but what the hell, it was cake.
The recipe is complicated, so I will break it down into cake, filling and ganache.
For the cake:
2 eggs
2 11 oz tins of mandarin oranges, drained.
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
(yes, I know it has no butter or oil-that’s not a mistake).
Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.
Beat the eggs. Add oranges and dry ingredients. Beat 4 minutes with an electric mixer on low setting. The oranges should be well-broken apart. Pour into 3 8 inch cake pans. The layers will be slight, but that’s ok. If you wish to make the cake alone, it can be poured into a 9x13 rectangular pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed. The cake will get very dark-that’s ok, though you should take care that it does not burn. Remove from the oven, cool in pans for 15 minutes, then on racks. The cake may stick a bit, so it wouldn’t hurt to lightly oil the rack. Cool completely before filling with buttercream.
For the buttercream:
1 stick of butter, softened
3-4 cups sifted, powder sugar(or more)
½ cup sifted cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons milk
Cream the butter with an electric mixer. Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with the cocoa and work into the butter. Add 2 tablespoons of milk. Add the powdered sugar until you get a very thick, but spreadable consistency. You may over-do it, in which case you should add more milk. Use the buttercream to frost the layers. At this point, place the cake in the refrigerator for a couple hours to completely chill.
For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup (light)
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate
½ teaspoon concentrated orange drops (if you cannot get your hands on it-I buy mine in a 3-pak with lemon and lime, orange blossom water would also add a nice flavour. I thought about using it in the cake but then remembered to do it after I’d put the cake in the oven!).
It helps to place the cake on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Make room in the fridge for it ahead of time.
Heat the cream and syrup until steaming. Pour over chocolate in a bowl and let sit for five minutes. Add orange flavouring and whisk until smooth. Pour over cake while still warm. Immediately move to the refrigerator to set. It should be chilled at least three hours before serving. Extra ganache may be scraped together and turned into truffles(mine atop the cake were rolled in parlsocker).
Then, before serving for dessert, try getting your two and a half year old to eat asparagus soup. Yeah, I know-but it’s Friday. We always have a cake on Friday. There’s six other days of the week for asparagus.
I did get a very small piece. I’ll pay for it, but what the hell, it was cake.
The recipe is complicated, so I will break it down into cake, filling and ganache.
For the cake:
2 eggs
2 11 oz tins of mandarin oranges, drained.
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
(yes, I know it has no butter or oil-that’s not a mistake).
Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.
Beat the eggs. Add oranges and dry ingredients. Beat 4 minutes with an electric mixer on low setting. The oranges should be well-broken apart. Pour into 3 8 inch cake pans. The layers will be slight, but that’s ok. If you wish to make the cake alone, it can be poured into a 9x13 rectangular pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed. The cake will get very dark-that’s ok, though you should take care that it does not burn. Remove from the oven, cool in pans for 15 minutes, then on racks. The cake may stick a bit, so it wouldn’t hurt to lightly oil the rack. Cool completely before filling with buttercream.
For the buttercream:
1 stick of butter, softened
3-4 cups sifted, powder sugar(or more)
½ cup sifted cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons milk
Cream the butter with an electric mixer. Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with the cocoa and work into the butter. Add 2 tablespoons of milk. Add the powdered sugar until you get a very thick, but spreadable consistency. You may over-do it, in which case you should add more milk. Use the buttercream to frost the layers. At this point, place the cake in the refrigerator for a couple hours to completely chill.
For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup (light)
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate
½ teaspoon concentrated orange drops (if you cannot get your hands on it-I buy mine in a 3-pak with lemon and lime, orange blossom water would also add a nice flavour. I thought about using it in the cake but then remembered to do it after I’d put the cake in the oven!).
It helps to place the cake on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Make room in the fridge for it ahead of time.
Heat the cream and syrup until steaming. Pour over chocolate in a bowl and let sit for five minutes. Add orange flavouring and whisk until smooth. Pour over cake while still warm. Immediately move to the refrigerator to set. It should be chilled at least three hours before serving. Extra ganache may be scraped together and turned into truffles(mine atop the cake were rolled in parlsocker).
Then, before serving for dessert, try getting your two and a half year old to eat asparagus soup. Yeah, I know-but it’s Friday. We always have a cake on Friday. There’s six other days of the week for asparagus.
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