Orange Almond Cake With Chocolate Icing Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-9 inch round pans by lining the bottoms with wax paper circles, and buttering and dusting with flour. Place the cake mix, eggs, water, extracts & butter in a bowl. Add finely minced beet, if desired for color (it will turn the batter more orange colored, and leave red flecks like confetti in the cake.) Combine with mixer, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans, & bake according to package directions, 29-34 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks & remove from pans. Peel off wax paper & allow to finish cooling.
• 2. For frosting, combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and 1/2 cup water. Beat well. Remove a portion, which you will use to frost in between the 2 cake layers, and a small amount to create a swirl of white into the chocolate frosting on the top of the cake. Add orange extract to this portion, and a little powdered sugar if needed to get the consistency right. With the remaining frosting, add the cocoa powder, and any additional water needed.
• 3. When assembling the cake, frost the middle layer with the white frosting. Make a ring of chocolate chips along the outer edge. Poke the broken Poky sticks into the cake at intervals around the outer edge, and one in the middle, and then place the second layer of cake on top. Press down gently, securing your layers together. If you made orange taffy (by boiling the ingredients down into taffy consistency), you may place some on the top layer, either in a ring around the edge, or over the whole top. Frost the top and sides with chocolate frosting. I like to leave a gap on the sides in the middle so you can peak in on the middle white frosting layer. Use remaining white frosting to swirl into frosting on top of the cake. Make a swirl pattern using the chopped chocolate chips, on the top of the cake. Pipe star burst patterns with the chocolate frosting. Make a big star burst flower in the middle (5 starburst petals), and small starbursts staggered around the edge. I do some around the sides in the middle where the gap is, as well. Add colored dot sprinkles to sides and the flower on top, and then toasted almonds to the top of the side of the cake, with a few placed in the center star on the top of the cake.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) in strips from oranges. Coarsely chop enough peel to measure 1/2 cup.
• 2. Combine flour, 1 cup almonds, baking powder and salt in processor; blend until finely ground. Transfer to medium bowl. Place 2 cups sugar and orange peel in processor; blend until peel is finely minced.
• 3. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until blended. Add sugar mixture and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix milk and both extracts in small bowl. On low speed, beat flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions each. Divide batter among prepared pans.
• 4. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 5 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely .
• 5. Boil 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice and remaining generous 1 tablespoon sugar in small saucepan until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Brush warm juice mixture over tops of cooled cakes.
• 6. Place 1 cake layer, orange syrup side up, on cake platter. Spread 1 cup Chocolate Icing over. Top with second cake layer, then 1 cup icing. Top with third cake layer, syrup side up. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)Arrange additional almonds, orange triangles and mint leaves around top edge of cake. Slice cake and serve.
• 7. FROSTING Melt butter, add to bowl of mixer. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Pulse 2 cups flour, the baking powder, salt and almonds in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground into a powder, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the egg whites, milk, and vanilla and almond extracts in a medium bowl until combined.
• Beat 1 stick butter and the granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool in the pans. (The cakes can be frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature.)
• Make the frosting: Microwave the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring, until melted; set aside. Beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes. Gently fold in the melted white chocolate with a rubber spatula. (The frosting can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days. Beat with a mixer to soften just before frosting the cake.)
• Assemble the cake: Loosen the edges of the cakes with a knife, then invert 1 layer onto a platter and peel off the parchment. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 cups frosting on top. Remove the other layer from the pan, peel off the parchment and carefully place on top of the first layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting (this is the "crumb coat"; it doesn't have to be perfect). Chill 15 minutes, then cover with the remaining frosting and decorate with nonpareils.

Steps:

• Place orange in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until orange is soft, about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Cut orange into chunks and discard seeds.
• Mix almond flour with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan and coat the pan with a handful of the almond-sugar mixture.
• Combine orange chunks and 1 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse until pureed. Add almond flour mixture and butter; process until smooth. Add eggs; mix until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; process until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• ---- THE CAKE ----.
• Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
• Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into an 8" x 8" baking pan.
• Make 3 holes in the dry ingredients.
• Place oil in the first hole, vinegar in the second hole, and vanilla in the third hole (again, I kid thee not- trust me on this one!).
• Pour orange juice over everything and mix well.
• Spread batter evenly in the pan and bake in dish that the batter was mixed in.
• Bake 30 minutes or until center is firm.
• Allow to cool.
• Refrigerate leftovers (if any).
• ---- THE FROSTING ----.
• Combine gelatin, orange juice, and cold water in small saucepan.
• Let stand until thick.
• Place over low heat, stirring constantly, just until gelatin dissolves.
• Remove from heat and cool, but do not allow to set.
• Whip cream, sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened.
• While beating slowly, gradually add gelatin to whipped cream mixture.
• Whip at high speed until stiff.
• Spread thickly on the cake.