Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

I really wanted cake yesterday, but came up short on some of the usual ingredients - namely butter and eggs. Thank goodness for the internet. I found a recipe for a vegan orange cake and decided to give it a go. I'm not vegan (I love bacon and honey too much), but I can really get behind this cake. It tastes fantastic, it's surprisingly easy, and, given the price of eggs and butter, it's budget friendly. Tasty, easy, and cheap - this may be my new favorite dessert.

I realize that the cream cheese glaze negates the vegan-ness of this dish, but you could remedy that by thinning some marmalade with a little hot water and using it instead.

Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

serves 10

adapted from the kitchn

Cake

makes two 9-inch rounds

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 orange, zested

2 cups orange juice

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 T powdered sugar

Juice from half an orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, and orange zest.

In another bowl mix the orange juice, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix just until you no longer see big dry patches of flour.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 20 minutes before running a knife around the edge and turning out onto a cooling rack.

While the cakes cool make the glaze by whisking the softened cream cheese just until it becomes fluffy. Add the sugar and orange juice and whisk until thoroughly combined. If you need to thin out the glaze add a little more orange juice.

Glaze the cake while still warm making sure to pour a little bit of the glaze between the layers.

Apple Skillet Cake

I love cooking in cast iron. Even heat and the ability to go from stove top to oven make it a winner in my book, but for some reason I always forget that I can bake in my cast iron skillet. I remedied that this weekend by throwing together an easy apple cake.

What do you enjoy baking in your cast iron skillet?

Apple Skillet Cake

serves 6-8

4-5 large apples or 5-6 small apples (I used Fuji apples since that's what I had on hand)

2 sticks of unsalted butter (one stick should be at room temperature)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup of granulated sugar, divided

1/4 dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup plain or vanilla low fat yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp fresh lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core, and slice the apples into half inch slices. In a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet melt one stick of butter (not the room temperature stick) over low heat. When the butter is melted add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar.

Add the apple slices to the skillet and arrange them in a single layer.

While the apples cook, prepare the batter by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the room temperature butter, the brown sugar, and the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer and starting out on low, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy (this is called creaming, by the way).

Add the eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon zest to the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until the mixture comes together. Be careful not to over mix! Pour the batter over the apples and spread it out carefully to create an even layer across the top of the skillet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the skillet for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate or cake stand. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Bacon!

I won the lottery - the bacon lottery! My awesome brother and my sister-in-law sent me a box overflowing with Benton's Bacon. If you're not familiar with Benton's you should stop what you're doing (including reading this post) and check out their website.


Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about the bacon-y adventures ahead and I'm open to suggestions on dishes to make. I've already put the kibosh on the Bacon Explosion (sorry, J).


I'll keep you posted on the goodness to come.

Buttercream

For her 10th birthday, G asked for a three-tier chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and fresh strawberries. Not wanting to disappoint, I concocted an elaborate plan to make this confection completely from scratch. By the time Thursday rolled around, however, I was still cake-less. With the party looming I decided to scrap my original (and completely unrealistic) plan and call in the big guns - the grocery store bakery. The bakery lady seemed a bit confused as to why I would order an unfrosted cake, but I felt at peace as I walked out of the store with my prize - a 7 inch cake round, a 4 inch cake round, and a jumbo cupcake.

I like cake. But let's face it, cake is simply a medium for frosting delivery.  Now that I had a platform it was time to make the good stuff - buttercream. Real buttercream is a delicious juxtaposition of rich and creamy, light and fluffy.

Chocolate Buttercream

adapted from Ina Garten

Makes approximately 4 cups

Note - This recipe contains uncooked egg whites. You can replace them with 1/4 cup plus 2 T of pasteurized egg whites.

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 egg whites at room temperature

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tarter

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 1/2 tsp water

Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

In the work bowl of an electric mixer combine the egg whites, cream of tarter, and salt.  Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and heat the mixture for about 5 minutes.  Return the bowl to the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on high for 5 minutes or until the meringue hold a stiff peak.  You can test for stiff peaks by turning the mixer off, removing the whisk attachment and dipping it in the meringue.  When you turn the whisk upright the meringue should be glossy and hold its shape.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the butter a tablespoon at a time waiting until each piece disappears before adding the next.

After all the butter has been added, scrape down the bowl and add the melted chocolate, vanilla, and instant coffee. Beat on medium for two more minutes stopping halfway through to scape down the bowl.

If you have leftover frosting place it an an airtight container and freeze. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature then beat on medium speed until fluffy.  Chances are you won't have any leftover since you'll take the bowl to your bedroom and lock the door only to emerge an hour later with a clean bowl and bits of frosting in your hair. Not that I have any personal experience with that...