How To Make Orange Cake Recipe

This delicious Orange Cake recipe is rich and full of flavors. Perfect snack or afternoon treat! Serve this Orange Cake with a dollop of whipped cream and a cup of relaxing tea.



You will need:

• 5 1⁄2 oz brown sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence
• 9 fl oz orange juice
• zest of 1 orange
• 5 fl oz vegetable oil
• 12 oz self rising flour
• 6 egg whites
• 5 oz sugar
• 5 fl oz orange juice
• 2 1⁄8 oz brown sugar

• 1 mixer with whisk attachment
• 1 bowl
• 1 whisk
• 1 rubber spatula
• 1 sauce pan
• 1 spoon
• 1 springform pan 26'cm/10.2" lined with parchment paper and sides buttered
• 1 sieve
• 1 skewer
  

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, or gas mark 4.


Mix the ingredients

Next, introduce the egg yolks into a large bowl. Then add the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla essence, the orange zest, vegetable oil and then whisk it all together to fully combine.

Sieve the flour

Whip the egg whites

Pour the egg whites into the mixer bowl. Lower the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed for roughly 2 minutes. As soon as the egg whites become fluffy, slowly start to add in the sugar, little by little, with the mixer still whisking. You will see the egg whites begin to stiffen and become shiny, so turn down the speed and switch the blender off.

Fold in egg whites

Add one third of the stiffened egg whites into the bowl of orange batter and using your whisk mix it in well to fully incorporate, then taking your spatula, add in the remaining egg white mixture. And fold in, which simply means to mix in gently. Continue to fold until everything is thoroughly combined.

Transfer to the baking tin

Now pour the orange batter into the lined spring form tin, scraping off any of the mixture from the sides of the bowl with your spatula. Then give it a quick shake to remove any air bubbles and your cake is now ready to bake!

Bake

Place the baking tin into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for roughly 40-45 minutes. Check to see if it's fully cooked by placing a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it is dry it is ready to be removed from the oven.

Make the sauce

Place a pan over a medium heat and add the orange juice. Then the brown sugar. Give it a quick stir and allow to melt. As it comes to the boil, stir again and remove from the heat.

A useful TIP! If you prefer a drier, less denser cake don't make the sauce.

Finishing touches

Pour the sauce over the cake still in its baking tin. The cake immediately absorbs the sauce giving it an extra flavor and making it very moist. Allow to cool before serving.

Serve

This delicious cake can be enjoyed with afternoon tea with a dollop of fresh cream if you like! Enjoy!

Always Enjoy!

Betty's Chocolate Cherry Cordial Dessert Recipe

In this video, Betty demonstrates how to make a gorgeous and luscious sweet treat... Chocolate Cherry Cordial Dessert recipe. It is made of vanilla ice cream, and is chock full of maraschino cherries, pecans, and chocolate pieces.

Simply Irresistible!




Ingredients:

1-1/2 quarts to 2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup maraschino cherry halves
1-1/2 cup chopped pecans
(4) 1.55 oz. milk chocolate bars, finely chopped (I used a large 5 oz. bar of dark chocolate; the dark chocolate freezes harder, and is harder to chew, but the taste is more chocolate-y.)
Reddi Whip topping for garnish
Stemmed maraschino cherries for garnish

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 quarts to 2 quarts softened vanilla ice cream, 1 cup maraschino cherry halves, 1/2-cup chopped pecans, and 4 chopped milk chocolate bars.

Spoon the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze at least 4 hours (preferably overnight), or until firm all the way through.

Remove the sides from the springform pan. Cut into wedges and serve on a nice serving dish. Garnish with a dollop of Reddi Whip and a stemmed maraschino cherry. Serve immediately. Yum!


Always Enjoy!

Banana Bread With Walnuts & Dates

Although this recipe for Banana Bread with Walnuts & Dates is very simple to prepare... it doesn't short-change on flavor. I hope that Maggie and my other readers enjoy it as much as I did!



Ingredients

3 overripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg (ground or fresh)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, add bananas and eggs and mash contents thoroughly. Add sugar and mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Add to banana mixture and mix well.

Add walnuts and dates to mixture and fold until well incorporated.

Pour banana mixture into pan and bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

NOTE: If your bread isn't done in the suggested hour, don't let it bake for an additional 10 minutes without checking every 2 minutes so that it doesn't become overly done (as it appears in the video).

NOTE: If you like a very moist banana bread, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to your mixture.

Always Enjoy!

Bread Pudding and Caramel Sauce Recipe

One of my subscribers requested a recipe for Bread Pudding. The following recipe video by "freitasex" (which I think is "Freita's ex"), appears to be a pretty tasty pudding and also includes a delicious Caramel Sauce recipe. I've also included my very own Chocolate Bread Pudding in the next post. I hope that you will enjoy!



Ingredients

6 eggs
32 oz of light cream or half and half
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 cups any dry day old bread or croissants (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 cup raisins

Directions

Mix together your first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

Soak bread crumbs and raisins in custard for about 2-3 hours (use a heavy dish or bowl to weigh the crumbs down into the mixture).

Spray an 11x8-inch glass baking dish with Pam. Add bread crumbs and raisins evenly in dish.

Place above baking dish into a 13x9-inch baking dish and use as a water bath by placing boiling water into the larger dish before baking.

Bake pudding in a 350°F or 180C preheated oven for 50 minutes.

Caramel Sauce

4 oz butter
2 T corn syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream

In a small heavy pan, whisk together sauce ingredients as shown in the video... adding the heavy cream toward the end.

Note: If you decide to substitute the French baguette for raisin bread, you can still add additional raisins.

Note: To prevent scalding accidents, place your pudding dish into the larger dish and carry both to the oven before filling with boiling water.

Always Enjoy!

Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe

This awesome recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding is a favorite of many of my chocoholic friends. I remember my mother making this delicious pudding for the holidays when I was growing up with a dollop of "real" whipped cream on top. And yes, she made her own whipped cream!

Your Ingredients: (serves 10 to 12)

1 (one-pound) loaf brioche bread
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 whole vanila bean, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scraped
8 ounces Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 sticks melted butter
8 large egg yolks (freeze the whites for a meringue)
1 cup granulated sugar
real whipped cream
mini-chocolate chips

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 325°F.

BUTTER a 13x9-inch baking dish. (You'll also need a roasting pan to serve as a water bath container.)

CUT brioche into 1-inch cubes and place them in the buttered dish.

ADD the milk, cream, vanilla seeds, and vanilla pod to a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat down low and simmer for about 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and allow it to stand for 30 minutes to intensify the vanilla flavor.

WHISK together the egg yolks and sugar; set aside.

REMOVE the vanilla pod (discard) and reheat the milk-cream mixture to boiling.

REMOVE from heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until all ingredients are very well blended.

POUR custard over the brioche cubes and use a fork to poke holes through cubes, making sure that custard is soaking through. Cover with plastic wrap and let pudding stand for 2-hours, occasionally pressing the cubes down into pudding. In the meantime, fill a large saucepan with water and heat over high heat to boiling. Turn off heat once it comes to a boil.

PLACE your baking dish inside of the larger pan and place in the preheated oven. Being very careful, fill the outer pan with enough hot water to reach the halfway point of the pudding dish. Bake until pudding is set, about 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

SERVE warm and top with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle a few mini-chocolate chips on top for garnish.

Always Enjoy!

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe

The Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar must be one of the most delicious bars around! Loaded with dried cranberries, white chocolate, and other yummy ingredients, it's one of the best bars that I've tried... until Todd Wilbur's clone. I hope that you'll agree!

Cake

1-1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1-1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed tight

3 large eggs

2 T minced crystallized ginger

1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

4 oz Ghirardelli white chocolate candy bar, chopped

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tsp fresh orange zest

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup dried cranberries


Drizzled Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 T milk

2 tsp vegetable shortening (Crisco is fine)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Cake

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs, ginger, vanilla, and salt and continue mixing well. Gradually mix in the flour and baking powder and mix until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer.

Add the chopped dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter and mix by hand. Pour batter into a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly over the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is light brown on top. Allow the cake to cool in the pan.

Frosting

Using your electric mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon and orange juice, orange zest, and pure vanilla extract and beat until smooth. When the cake has thoroughly cooled, use the offset spatula to spread frosting over the entire cake, making sure to cover corners.

Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of chopped cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

Drizzled Icing

Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and shortening. Using a squirt bottle or small plastic bag (with a teeny corner snipped off), drizzle icing over the entire cake in a sweeping motion.

Cover the cake with a sheet of nonstick foil or parchment paper and refrigerate for a few hours. Slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times which will make a total of eight rectangular slices. Then finally, slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

Makes 16 bars.

Always Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake

This recipe for Red Velvet Cake was requested by Marquetta waaayyyy back in the middle of April! Marquetta… I must admit that you certainly threw me off kilter with your request!

Although I’ve heard of this cake several times, I’ve never baked one or tasted one. That’s not exactly surprising though since there are very few cakes that I’ve attempted. My cakes are either fabulous, or not fit for human or animal consumption. You can ask my daughter… her Rottweiler, named Chaka (although she can’t sing), won’t even sniff some of my failures.

Finally, I found a woman (through a friend) who bakes these all the time (says she!). I hope that this recipe meets your taste buds with a smile!

Your Ingredients:

1 T unsalted butter (to butter 2 cake pans)
2 T cake flour (for dusting cake pans)
2-1/2 cups cake flour, NOT self-rising
1-tsp salt
1/4-cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2-cups canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 (1-ounce) bottles of red food coloring (1/4-cup)
1-tsp pure vanilla extract
1-cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons white vinegar (NOT apple cider vinegar)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Generously butter two 9-inch cake pans. Dust with flour and shake out the excess; set aside.

WHISK together the cake flour, salt, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

IN the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and oil on medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time and blend well after each addition.

Note: DO NOT overmix the cake batter; overmixing will result in a tough cake.

ADD food coloring and vanilla and mix until well blended.

ADD 1/3 of your flour mixture and 1/3 of your buttermilk, mixing well and then repeating with another 1/3 flour and 1/3 buttermilk, mixing well, and then adding the last 1/3 of your flour and buttermilk, mixing well.

IN a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar and baking soda. Add to your cake batter and mix for a few seconds.

DIVIDE batter evenly between both prepared cake pans. Place the pans in your preheated oven.

BAKE until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow cakes to cool on a rack in their pans about 5 minutes. Remove from pans and place cakes directly on the wire rack to cool completely.

Note: If you are adept at slicing each layer horizontally (and evenly) in half, you’ll have a 4-layer cake. Otherwise, you could just double the recipe and make 4 (9-inch) layers.

White Frosting: (You will need a candy thermometer.)

1/2-cup water
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2-tsp cream of tartar
1/8-tsp salt
4 egg whites, room temperature

IN a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the water, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Stir constantly until mixture is clear. Continue cooking (but NO more stirring) until mixture reaches 240ºF.

IN the bowl of an electric mixer, add egg white and beat until soft peaks form. When mixer is running, slowly pour the sugar mixture down the sides of the bowl (NOT in the center). Continue beating until stiff peaks form and frosting thickens to desired consistency.

SPREAD on thoroughly cooled cake layers.

Always Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

Belinda requested this yummy Carrot Cake recipe.

A wonderful friend named Fanny who used to baby-sit my daughter gave me this delicious carrot cake recipe many years ago. It is such a moist and tasty recipe that even my late Aunt Nancy chose this one over the recipe she used to use.

Belinda, please let me know if you like it as much as my family does. Then again, just let me know if you like it because it seems that my family loves anything sweet… with no attention necessarily paid to what form the sweets come in!

Your Ingredients:

2-cups all-purpose flour
2-tsp baking soda
2-tsp ground cinnamon
1/2-tsp allspice
1/4-tsp salt
3/4-cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
3/4-cup Crisco vegetable oil
1-1/2-cups granulated sugar
2-tsp pure vanilla extract
3-cups freshly shredded/grated carrots (peel and wash first)
1-cup Baker’s sweetened flaked coconut
1-cup chopped walnuts
1-cup golden raisins
1 (8-ounce) can of crushed pineapple (keep the juice)

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF.

GREASE and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan. Set aside.

IN a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

IN the large bowl of an electric mixer, add the buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla. Using the low speed, incorporate the ingredients until well blended.

ADD the flour mixture (slowly) and blend thoroughly.

REMOVE bowl from mixer and stir in the remaining ingredients (carrots, coconut, walnuts, raisins, and crushed pineapple with the juice).

POUR into the prepared cake pan and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour (oven temperatures vary).

ALLOW cake to cool at least a half hour before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Your Ingredients:

3-1/2-cups confectioners’ sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese)
1/2-cup butter, room temperature
1-1/2-tsp pure vanilla extract
1-cup chopped walnuts

PLACE the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, butter, and pure vanilla in a bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend until smooth.

STIR in walnuts.

SPREAD the icing on a thoroughly cooled cake.

Always Enjoy!

Fast And Easy Dessert Recipe For Non-Traditional Carrot Cake

This is my version of the traditional carrot cake. It’s moist and loaded with my favorite goodies. And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without its delicious cream cheese frosting. This is an excellent and thoughtful gift for your favorite hostess. It will definitely leave a lasting impression.

Coconut-Pineapple-Carrot Cake (serves 8)

Your Ingredients:

1 cup + 1 additional cup toasted walnuts or pecans (coarsely chopped…the additional cup will be for the frosting)
1-1/2 cups shredded toasted coconut (set aside for frosting)
cooking spray
2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup saffron or canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, well drained
2-1/2 cups grated carrots

PREHEAT oven to 350˚F.

TOASTED NUTS: On top of the stove, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning for about 5-8 minutes. When nuts begin to release their flavor and are browned, remove from skillet and set aside.

TOASTED COCONUT: Place the shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Optionally toss with 1 or 2 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar if coconut is unsweetened. Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven. Stir every 30 seconds, until the coconut is dry and mostly toasted light brown with some white shreds, about 2 to 4 minutes.

SPRAY two 9” cake pans with cooking spray. (you can also use a 13x9” baking pan)

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk together to incorporate.

USING the bowl of an electric mixer (with the paddle attachment) beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute).

GRADUALLY add the sugar and beat until the batter is lightly colored (about 3-4 minutes).

ADD the oil slowly, and then add the vanilla.

SLOWLY add the flour mixture (so you don’t wind up wearing it) and beat until just incorporated into batter.

WITH a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the toasted nuts, crushed pineapple and shredded carrots. (folding is a term used when you take a rubber spatula and go down one side of the bowl, and gently lift the bottom batter to cover the top batter. You repeat this action until all ingredients are incorporated. Another way to understand the folding concept is to pretend that you’ve placed an unpeeled raw egg in the center of your batter and you need to mix the rest of the batter around it without breaking the egg. You would accomplish this task by using slow “up and over the raw egg” technique)

DIVIDE batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or just pour all of it into the 13x9” baking pan.

PLACE pan(s) into your preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

REMOVE cakes from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

AFTER about 5 -10 minutes, invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pan(s) and cool completely before frosting.

Your Ingredients For Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla
lemon zest, optional
1 cup toasted walnuts (you’ve already done this)
1-1/2 cups shredded toasted coconut (you’ve already done this)

IN the bowl of your electric mixer (with the paddle attachment), beat the softened cream cheese and butter on low speed until mixture is very smooth with no lumps.

GRADUALLY add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on a low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla and the lemon zest.

ADD half of the toasted coconut and stir until well blended.

TO assemble the round cakes, place one cake, topside down onto a cake stand or serving plate. Tuck strips of waxed paper around the base of the cake to prevent frosting from getting on serving plate.

SPREAD about a third of the frosting. Place the other cake, topside facing up, on top of the frosted cake and frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

SPRINKLE the remaining half of the toasted coconut and the remaining 1-cup of toasted walnuts on top of cake. You can even press some into the sides.

REMOVE waxed paper strips.

Note: Here’s a little tidbit that will make your cake super-impressive. Buy a package of those marzipan carrots (or if you’re industrious you can make them yourself) and decorate the top of your cake. I’m not sure if your neighborhood grocer carries them because I usually get mine from a craft store.

Always Enjoy!