My hubby celebrated his thirty-something birthday this week! To my dismay, desserts aren't his forte. He would rather have a tall glass of Guiness or gi-normous steak. In fact, think I can probably name the sweets he truly enjoys on one hand~ soft chewy rice krispie treats, cheesecake, Oh Henry Bars (which I shamelessy called his smalltown school cafeteria to get the recipe for, no kidding~ but we'll save that story for another time), chocolate chip cookies, and orange dream bars. I hoped that if I could come up with some version of an orange dream cake, I might discover a birthday cake he might enjoy, or even look foward to. I went for a super moist, vanilla almond cake with orange undertones and an orange creme frosting with cream cheese (cheesecakey, right?). The kids licked the frosting bowl clean and declared the orange cake as "super delicous" and "orangey in a really great way," gramps took some home with him, and my hubby actually cleaned his plate. Mission accomplished. Maybe he will even look foward to it next year.
Orange Creme Cake
*Recipe by Jasey's Crazy Daisy
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup orange zest, @ 2 oranges
1 cup buttermilk
One batch of Orange Creme Frosting
* Note - I find one orange produces about 2 Tablespoons zest, so two oranges are usually sufficient. If you want, you can juice these oranges and add juice to equal 3/4 cup if need be. However, I slice the oranges and let the kiddos enjoy them and use the best orange juice I can buy always one that is not from concentrate (I like Tropicana, Simply Orange, and Florida Natural). Call me lazy that way.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper and flour pans.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Stir well. Set aside.
In a 2 cup mixing cup or a small bowl, stir together orange juice and buttermilk and set aside.
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together about 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Add orange zest and eggs, one at a time, beating in between each until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and almond extract.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beating just until combined. Bake for about 25 minutes or until center is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs when inserted.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan. I spray saran wrap with cooking spray, wrap my cakes in it, and pop them if the freezer. This helps retain moisture, and the cakes are much easier to frost when frozen.
Just before assembling cake, make Orange Creme Frosting.
To assemble cake, unwrap cake and place on layer on serving plate. Spread with frosting, only coming to about 1/2-1/4-inch from edges to prevent filling from spilling over. Top with remaining cake layer and frost. I frost sides first, finishing with the top. The cake will thaw pretty quickly, about 1/2 hour or so. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
What is your family's favorite dessert to celebrate with?
I'm sharing this yumminess with these parties.
