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A Piece of Cake
July 2006: Fourth Slice
Newsletter written by Anne Byrn July 12, 2006
A Word from Anne
A Word from Workman
Recipe Swap
Do Share
Hot Tips
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A Word from Anne
Ah, the signs of summer - sweet local peaches in our market, the alarm clock not so useful, beach towels drying in the sun, fat hydrangeas in bloom, dinner at 8, and fireflies to catch. These are just a few signs that it is summer at our house. Summer baking is here as well, and what makes it different are the sorts of recipes we turn to when the weather is warm. I think about picnics and potlucks, so my baking is about nostalgia and recreating old recipes my mother used to bake, or totability, as in what cake will get to the gathering in the best shape. I also crave the fruits of the season, those cobblers and crisps stuffed with fat peaches and blueberries. And Key lime pie is on my mind. Ever since I learned that quick way to make Key lime pie—one can of sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup (roughly) real Key lime juice mixed and turned into a good graham cracker crust—I never looked back. That seems to be my quest—find the most delicious, most clever, and fastest way to arrive at the end result (in this case, the Key lime pie). I really never intended to cook this way. But with three kids ages 16, 12, and 8, our pace is a little hectic, and we just have to fit good food into it. No matter how busy summer gets, we do try to slow down and bake for pleasure.
For your summer baking adventures, and especially if you have been tapped to tote the cake to a picnic, I am sharing a winner of a layer cake, an Orange Marmalade Cake. The Williamsburg orange cake was requested in this newsletter several months ago by Laura Williams of Milan, MI. Reader Leslie D'Agostino of Oak Park, IL, thought her cake mix modification of a famous orange marmalade cake might do. (Boy, does it!) Readers of Jan Karon's wonderful Mitford novels know this cake, which in the book is made from scratch. Why not bake Leslie's cake and read Jan Karon's novels this summer? Here's to the slower pace and the tried and true recipes we pull out in summertime.
Happy Baking!
Anne
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A Word from Workman
Exciting new things are in the works for CakeMixDoctor.com! In the next few weeks, you'll notice some changes in the way things look, but the biggest change is by far the best. We'll be adding a blog section to the homepage, and Anne will post tidbits regularly to tide you over between newsletters. We'll also have guest bloggers from the Community Board share a story and a recipe from time to time. We hope you enjoy the new features!
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Recipe Swap
Orange Marmalade Cake
Serves: 16
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 25 to 30 minutes
Cake:
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/3 cups orange juice
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from one large orange)
Syrup:
3/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Filling:
1 cup orange marmalade
Frosting:
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, and set the pans aside. Place a large mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator to chill.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, place the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange zest. (Reserve the orange for juicing.) Blend on low speed with an electric mixer until the ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend until they are well combined, 2 minutes more. Divide the batter between the two pans and place the pans in the oven. Bake until the centers spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Cut the reserved orange in half, and squeeze out the juice through a strainer into a measuring cup. Add more carton orange juice as needed to make 3/4 cup. Pour this into a small bowl, and whisk in the sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved, then set this aside. For the filling, place the orange marmalade in a small saucepan and heat over low until it is loose enough to spread, or heat in a glass bowl in the microwave oven.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Pour the cream into the chilled bowl. Beat with the cold beaters until soft peaks form, then continue beating on high while adding the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in the sour cream, and place the frosting in the refrigerator.
5. Remove the cake layers from the oven, and place the pans on a rack to cool 5 minutes. Turn the layers out onto the cooling racks, and let cool right-side up for 20 minutes. Poke holes in the top layers with a wooden skewer or chopstick and slowly spoon the orange syrup over the surface. Allow the layers to cool 30 minutes more, or until they are at room temperature.
6. To assemble, place one layer on a cake plate. Spread two-thirds of the marmalade evenly on top. Place the second layer on top. Spoon the remaining marmalade in the center of the cake and spread toward the edge of the cake, leaving a cake border of about 1 1/4 inches. Frost the sides and the top 1 1/4 inches of cake, leaving the marmalade exposed. Place the cake in a cake saver in the refrigerator to store.
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Do Share
Peg Carlson and many of us are still searching for a Cinnabon Cake recipe. I can't recall when one recipe caused as much interest but with no results! Peg says she saw this recipe in a magazine, and it begins with a cake mix. She knows a brown sugar and cinnamon mixture is spread on the bottom of cake pans, and the batter is spread on top before baking.
Tracy Haley of Tallahassee, FL, says her sister-in-law wants to send a birthday cake to her husband who is serving in Iraq. She would like to know if any of you have done this and what recipe holds up the best. We have offered tips for baking and sending food to our soldiers in Iraq, but we have not shared a recipe that works well.
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Hot Tips
Joan Linthicum of Cary, NC, baked a bridesmaid cake recently because her daughter was getting married. We emailed back and forth a bit about this cake before the event, and Joan emailed back to say the cake was a success:
"The cake turned out beautifully. I put the (silver) charms in the center under the first layer of cake, with the ribbons coming out to the edge of the cake plate. Then I just put the next cake layer on top and iced it. Everyone loved pulling the charms and they could keep them and put them on their charm bracelets as a memento. Each charm was different with a different meaning."
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Next Issue: September 2006
Fall cake ideas for tailgating. Your questions and my answers. A sneak peek at my next book, and a wonderful Rum Raspberry Brownie recipe.
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