Orange Butter Cake

I have had my eye on the above cake for over a year now. I saw it in the April 2007 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and knew that I had to make it. I just couldn't find the right occasion. Well, today was my mom's birthday, so I decided today was the day. I changed it up a little bit, but used the cake and frosting recipe and it was delicious! I have also learned some new cake decorating skills since that issue was published so I was able to make the flowers and designed the cake just how I wanted it to be. It turned out great!

The daisies were a combination of fondant and gum paste and the little balls were just fondant.

Raspberry preserves between the layers with a delicious swiss buttercream frosting.
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Is that the cleanest zesting job you have ever seen? My brother skinned that orange naked! I was amazed.
The cake had a delicious orange, zesty flavor and the texture was great. The family loved the frosting and praised it for being super light.


Orange Butter Cake From Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine April 2007

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh orange peel
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups flour
2 cups sour cream, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-by-3-inch round springform pan and a 6-by-3-inch round springform pan. ( I used a 6-inch and 8-inch cake pan)

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and orange peel at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix at medium speed, then mix in the vanilla. Add 2 cups flour and 1 cup sour cream and mix at low speed until barely blended. Repeat with the remaining 2 cups flour and 1 cup sour cream.

3. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans, filling them about half full. Bake until the cakes are deep golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the pans to a rack to cool for 20 minutes, then remove the sides of the pans and let the cakes cool completely.

Frosting

4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large egg whites
One 8- to 10-ounce jar raspberry preserves

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and vanilla. In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg whites. Place over a pan of barely simmering water, whisking, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and beat with clean mixer blades on high speed until the mixture cools to room temperature and forms stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

2. Lower the speed and add the creamed butter a few tablespoons at a time (the mixture will look broken and curdled). Slowly mix in the rest of the butter until combined. Beat on high until smooth, about 10 minutes. Add a drop of red food coloring(I used Wilton Sky Blue gel paste) and beat until uniform in color. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

3. Using a long serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Dab a bit of the preserves onto each cardboard round and place one corresponding cake layer on top. Spread the remaining preserves on the 2 bottom layers, then spread about 1/2 cup frosting over the preserves. Top with the remaining 2 cake layers. Apply a thin layer of frosting to each double-layer cake to seal in the crumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set slightly.

4. Cover the tops and sides of each cake with the remaining frosting, then place the small cake and its cardboard on top of the large cake. .