Orange Coconut Almond Cake
Dede Wilson's luscious book, Wedding Cakes You Can Make, a step-by-step guide for the bride and baker-to-be, caught our eye. She adds almond paste to her basic yellow cake recipe for one special creation. This gave us the idea for our Mother's Day cake. Here we made a light almond butter cake filled and frosted with a simple orange buttercream. Large flake coconut pressed into the sides of the frosted cake give it a festive look although any type of unsweetened coconut can be used. Decorate the top with fresh mint, pansies or other edible flowers if you like.
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From Wedding Cakes You Can Make, Dede Wilson, John Wiley & Sons, 2005 2 ¼ cups cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup
(1 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature ¾ cup
granulated sugar 1/3 cup (3 ounces)
Love'n Bake ™ Almond Paste, cut in small pieces ½ teaspoon
vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
almond extract 1 ½ teaspoons
orange or tangerine rind 3 large eggs
room temperature ¾ cup
whole milk Easy Orange
Buttercream (recipe follows) 1 cup dried
unsweetened large flake coconut or other unsweetened coconut |
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Preheat the oven to
350ºF. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line them with parchment
paper then grease the paper. Set aside.
Stir together the
flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter in
the bowl of a mixer fitted with a flat paddle until smooth and soft, about
2 minutes. Add the Love'n Bake ™ Almond Paste in pieces and blend
for one minute. Scrape the bowl then gradually add the sugar then beat
on medium speed until light about three minutes.
Scrape the bowl then
stir in the vanilla and almond extracts and rind.
Beat in the eggs
one at a time. Scrape the bowl then add the flour alternating with the
milk in three additions.
Divide the batter
evenly between the two pans. Smooth the top of the batter. Bake until
a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center of the cake comes
out clean. A few crumbs may cling to the tester.
Cool on a wire rack
for 10 minutes then invert and cool completely before filling and frosting.
Level each cake if
necessary. Fill the cake with about one third of the frosting then coat
with the remaining frosting. Holding the cake in one hand over a clean
baking sheet, press the coconut into the sides of the cake. Any coconut
that has fallen onto the tray can be used to evenly coat the cake.
This cake tastes best
when served at room temperature. If you are not serving the cake immediately,
store it in the refrigerator then remove it about one hour before serving.
Easy Orange Buttercream
Yield: 4 cups
½ cup orange
juice
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk, optional
Place the orange juice
into a small saucepan. Boil over medium high heat and cook until reduced
to 1/3 cup and slightly thickened. Add the orange zest and set aside.
Cool completely before using.
Beat the butter in
a bowl fitted with the paddle until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Scrape the bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar, orange juice and extract,
if using. Beat on low speed until the mixture is moistened. Scrape the
bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is light
and creamy. Add the cream if using.