Aunt Esthers Favorite Cake Food

ESTHER'S ORANGE MARMALADE CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Sift flour, baking powder, & salt twice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter on MEDIUM (~4 minutes). Add sugar steadily with mixer running; beat until light & fluffy. Add eggs & yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition; scrape down sides at least once. After eggs are added, continue to beat on MEDIUM for 2 minutes; add oil & beat for 1 minute on LOW. In a third bowl, combine orange zest, vanilla, & buttermilk. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half of dry ingredients. Scrape down sides of bowl, add half of the buttermilk mixture - repeat. Pour batter in pans, smooth surface, rap on counter, & place in oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on racks for 20 minutes. Orange syrup: In small bowl, stir together orange juice & sugar until dissolved. While cakes are still in pans, use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes at 1/2-inch intervals in the cake layers. Spoon syrup over each layer, allowing syrup to be completely absorbed before adding the remainder. Let layers cool completely in pans. Filling: Heat marmalade in a small saucepan over medium heat until just melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Frosting: In a chilled mixing bowl, whisk heavy cream with sugar until stiff peaks form. Add sour cream SLOWLY & whisk until mixture is a spreadable consistency. Cake assembly: Invert one layer on a cake plate & peel off parchment. Spread 1/3 of marmalade over top, smoothing into an even layer; repeat with second layer. Place third cake layer on top, remove parchment, & spoon remaining marmalade onto the center, leaving a 1.25-inch border around the edges. Frost sides & top border, leaving the marmalade on top of the cake exposed. Or, frost entire cake first, adding the marmalade as a garnish on top. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

AUNT ESTHER'S SECRET RUM CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300. Grease tube pan with removable bottom. Add a ring of wax paper to bottom of pan to ease release after cooking.
• Beat butter and sugar thoroughly. Add yolks.
• In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.
• Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture.
• Add extracts and rum, if desired.
• In separate chilled bowl, beat whites to stiff peaks.
• Fold whites into batter.
• Spoon into pan.
• Coat top with additional sugar.
• Bake at 300 for 1.5 to 2 hours until cake tester comes out clean.

AUNT ESTHER'S SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the dry ingredients together, and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together 3 to 4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix for about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time Add the vegetable oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, a bit at a time, just until combined. Don't over-mix. For best results, line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a Silpat). NOTE: The dough will be soft, so a cookie scoop makes the task a lot easier. Otherwise, chill the dough for at least 15 minutes, if you don't have a cookie scoop. I like to use a 2-inch cookie scoop to measure 12 cookies per sheet, spaced about 2" apart. With the flat of your palm (I lightly moistened my hands with water so the dough doesn't stick), gently press the cookie down just enough to flatten it out to be even. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The cookies should be slightly brown around the edges. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Once the cookies are completely cool, they will be crunchy, with a tender texture on the inside. Yield: 3 dozen cookies. If you make 1-inch cookies, you should have 5 to 6 dozen.