This past Sunday (January 13th) was one of those days I felt like I needed to bake a cake. It was my late husband’s birthday, and for many years it was my practice to make him a sweet treat in celebration. I had not done so for quite some time (it was the seventh one since he graduated to Heaven); however, I decided to make the best of a hard day and remember the blessing of having such a wonderful man in my life.
Bob and I had different ideas about cake. His favorites often had filling between the layers and lots of icing – the thicker the frosting, the better. Personally, I like the cake itself better than the icing. I often prefer cake with no frosting, or maybe one with a sugary glaze. When choosing what to bake, I considered a Bob-type of cake but realized it was too much work for something I would not enjoy. Since I was going to consume it, I picked a Sara-type of cake recipe.
My mother taught me to sift flour before measuring it, lightly spooning it into the cup and then leveling it with a straight edge. When my children were in 4-H, we learned to sift dry ingredients together three times. Besides blending ingredients, sifting adds air to the mixture, yielding a much nicer finished product. When I made Orange Cake Squares I decided I was going to do all the sifting; the texture of the cake was just right. The glaze over the top gave it just enough extra sweetness – it didn’t need tons of frosting.
The other two are Bob-favorites. He would tell you they are worth the extra effort.
Orange Cake Squares
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Orange Glaze (recipe follows)
Cream shortening; gradually add sugar, mixing well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine milk, extract, and orange zest; set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat 3 minutes on medium speed of electric mixer.
Pour into a greased and floured 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Pour Orange Glaze over warm cake, spreading evenly. Cut cake into squares to serve. Yield: 12-15 servings.
Orange Glaze:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (measure after sifting)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
Combine all ingredients; stir until smooth.
Peppermint Candy Cake
2/3 cup shortening
1-3/4 cups sugar
3 cups sifted cake flour
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
Peppermint Filling (Recipe follows)
3/4 cup (5 ounces) crushed peppermint candy, divided
Fluffy Frosting (Recipe follows)
Cream shortening; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an
electric mixer. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture
alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each
addition. Stir in vanilla.
Beat egg whites (room temperature) until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter.
Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool 10 minutes on wire racks. While warm, prick cake layers at 1 inch intervals with a fork.
Place 1 cake layer on cake plate; spread with 1/3 cup Peppermint Filling, and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost top and sides with Fluffy Frosting; sprinkle top and sides with peppermint candy. Yield: one 3 layer cake.
Peppermint Filling:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil; stir constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Yield 1 cup.
Fluffy Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine sugar, cream of tartar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat;
stir constantly until clear.
Cook, without stirring, to soft ball stage (240 degrees).
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; continue beating, adding syrup in a slow, steady stream. Add vanilla; continue beating until stiff peaks form and frosting is thick enough to spread. Yield: 5 cups.
Caramel Cream Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup finely chopped sweetened flaked coconut
1 recipe Pecan Pie Filling (recipe follows)
1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted (for topping)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (for topping)
Beat 1/2 cup butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well until blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in pecans and finely chopped coconut.
Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; fold one-third of egg whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining beaten egg whites just until blended. Use immediately.
Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Top with half of Pecan Pie Filling to within 1/2-inch of edge (it will go to edges when next layer is added). Repeat with next layer; top with last layer. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides with toasted pecans and toasted coconut. Makes 12 servings.
Pecan Pie Filling
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming, and chill 4 hours.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended; stir in vanilla.