Orange Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting Food

ORANGE-ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Place whole unpeeled oranges in a large saucepan or stockpot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, 2 hours. Drain; set oranges aside to cool. (Navel oranges may have a few seeds. Halve the cooked oranges, and remove any strays before using the rest of the fruit.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. Halve cooked oranges, and remove any seeds. Place 7 halves in a food processor, and pulse until pureed but still chunky. This should yield about 3 cups; set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs with 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in orange puree until just combined. Stir in flour mixture; pour into prepared pan.
• Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack. After 15 minutes, run a small spatula or paring knife around edge to loosen cake; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make orange topping: Chop remaining 5 orange halves into 1/2- inch pieces, and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining cup sugar with 3/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Add chopped oranges to saucepan, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer gently until most of the liquid has evaporated and thickened into a syrup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool completely.
• To assemble, remove ring from pan; transfer the cooled cake to a serving platter. Arrange chopped oranges and any remaining syrup over top of cake. Cut into wedges, and serve.

ORANGE-ALMOND CAKE WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of 8-inch round cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place first layer on cake plate. Spread frosting over first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges.
• Place remaining layer on top, bottom side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting. Repeat process with 6-inch round cakes. Serve.

ORANGE ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Place orange in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until orange is soft, about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Cut orange into chunks and discard seeds.
• Mix almond flour with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan and coat the pan with a handful of the almond-sugar mixture.
• Combine orange chunks and 1 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse until pureed. Add almond flour mixture and butter; process until smooth. Add eggs; mix until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; process until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. To thin, add more juice, to thicken, add more sugar.
• Add a dash of orange zest or fresh grated peel, if desired.

ORANGE ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Mix first 5 ingredients with mixer for 3 minutes.
• Pour batter into greased cake pan. I use a 10 inch diameter silicone cake pan and make it in one layer.
• Sprinkle top of batter with sliced almonds.
• Bake at 350 degrees until done, about 40 minutes.

ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, orange zest and vanilla. Add enough orange juice to achieve frosting consistency.

ORANGE-ALMOND CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• For cream filling:
• Bring milk and orange peel to simmer in heavy medium saucepan; remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat yolks in large bowl to blend. With machine running, add sugar and beat until mixture is light yellow and thick, about 4 minutes. Add flour, beating until well combined. Gradually beat in hot milk mixture. Return custard to same saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer cream filling to medium bowl; press plastic wrap onto surface. Refrigerate cream filling overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For syrup:
• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil 5 minutes, swirling pan occasionally. Cool syrup slightly. Stir in Grand Marnier. Cover; chill until cold. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
• For cake:
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line each pan with parchment paper round. Bring milk and butter almost to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, beat eggs in large bowl on high speed 2 minutes. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until mixture is light yellow and thick, scraping down sides occasionally, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high; add vanilla. Gradually beat in hot milk mixture in steady stream. Immediately add dry ingredients and beat until just blended, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl (batter will be thin). Mix in 3 teaspoons orange peel. Quickly divide batter between prepared pans.
• Bake until cakes are golden, pull away from sides of pans, and spring back when pressed in center, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes; peel off parchment paper. Turn cakes right side up on rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic and let stand at room temperature.)
• Using small sharp knife, cut off peel and white pith from oranges. Working over strainer set over large bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Transfer orange segments to paper towels to drain.
• Beat cream and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until cream holds peaks. Fold 1/2 cup whipped cream into cream filling, then fold in crushed amaretti and remaining 1 teaspoon grated orange peel. Using serrated knife, cut each cake layer horizontally in half, creating 4 layers. Place 1 layer on plate, cut side up; brush generously with syrup (about 6 tablespoons). Spread 3/4 cup filling over. Arrange 1 layer of orange segments (about 20) over filling. Repeat layering twice more with cake, syrup, filling, and orange segments. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Brush cake with syrup. Fill pastry bag fitted with large star tip with 1 cup whipped cream. Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake. Pipe cream in rosettes around top edge of cake. Cover center with orange segments. Brush oranges with melted apricot jam. Refrigerate cake 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• *Available at Italian markets and some supermarkets.

ALMOND SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Butter and flour a tube pan and set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar together and then add sour cream.
• Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
• Add extracts and stir to combine.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes and then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Almond Buttercream Frosting: With an electric mixer, cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the sugar until smooth and creamy and sweetened to your liking (about 2 minutes). Add almond extract and stir to blend.
• Frost cake when fully cooled. If you are not using the frosting immediately, store it, covered, in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature just prior to using. Yield: 3 cups.

ORANGE ALMOND CAKE WITH SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Butter parchment and flour cake pans; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together 1 cup of sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add orange zest, juice, and almond extract; mix until well combined. Turn mixer off. Remove the whisk and add the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium, slowly add ground almonds, followed by flour; mix cake batter until well combined.
• In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add salt and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar; beat until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
• Fold melted butter into cake batter, a little at a time. Gently fold in egg white mixture, taking care not to deflate whites. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake layers to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Invert cakes to remove from pan and remove parchment paper; reinvert cakes. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread frosting over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges.
• Place the remaining layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.