Chocolate-Orange Cream Cake

I would not exactly call this a "family" recipe, but it certainly is
good. In addition to the other decorations, I put half of an orange
slice in a sort of wagon wheel around the bottom of the cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa*
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon orange extract
Cream Filling (recipe follows)
Grand Marnier Frosting (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 3, 8 or 9-inch round cake pans, line with wax paper (I use
parchment). Grease and flour wax paper and sides of pans. Set aside

Combine cocoa and boiling water in a small bowl, stir until smooth.
Set aside.

Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy;
gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine buttermilk, soda and salt. Add flour to shortening mixture
alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Beat at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in cocoa
mixture and orange extract. Beat 2 more minutes. Pour batter into
prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in
center comes out clean. Let cake layers cool in pans 10 minutes,
remove from pans. Peel off wax paper and let layers cool completely on
wire racks.

Spread Cream Filling between layers to within 1/2 inch of edge. Spread
Grand Marnier Frosting on sides and top of cake. Garnish, if desired
with orange slices and curls and chocolate ribbons.

*We prefer Dutch cocoa such as Droste in the cake layers for the
richest flavor (but the recipe will still taste good if you use
Hershey's cocoa).

Note: To make the orange curl garnish for the cake, use a citrus
peeler to peel strips of rind from an orange, or peel 1 orange with a
knife, leaving white pith on fruit. Cut orange rind into long, thin
strips. Wrap rind strips tightly around a pencil to create curls.
Freeze briefly, then remove orange rind strips from pencil.

Cream Filling

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup shortening
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation:

Combine flour and milk in a small saucepan; cook over low heat,
stirring constantly with a wire whisk, 3 minutes or until mixture
resembles a soft frosting and is thick enough to hold its shape. (Do
not boil.) Remove from heat; let cool.

Beat shortening and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer
until creamy, add flour mixture, orange extract and salt, beating
well. Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed 4 to 5 minutes or
until fluffy.

Grand Marnier Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation:

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add
chocolate, Grand Marnier, whipping cream and salt, beat well.
Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed for 5 minutes or until
spreading consistency.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Billy J Cotton, adapted from a recipe
by Southern Living


~~

MySpace URL:

http://www.myspace.com/duckie067

"Duckie ®" wrote in message
...
Chocolate-Orange Cream Cake

I would not exactly call this a "family" recipe, but it certainly is
good. In addition to the other decorations, I put half of an orange
slice in a sort of wagon wheel around the bottom of the cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa*
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon orange extract
Cream Filling (recipe follows)
Grand Marnier Frosting (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 3, 8 or 9-inch round cake pans, line with wax paper (I use
parchment). Grease and flour wax paper and sides of pans. Set aside

Combine cocoa and boiling water in a small bowl, stir until smooth.
Set aside.

Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy;
gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine buttermilk, soda and salt. Add flour to shortening mixture
alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Beat at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in cocoa
mixture and orange extract. Beat 2 more minutes. Pour batter into
prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in
center comes out clean. Let cake layers cool in pans 10 minutes,
remove from pans. Peel off wax paper and let layers cool completely on
wire racks.

Spread Cream Filling between layers to within 1/2 inch of edge. Spread
Grand Marnier Frosting on sides and top of cake. Garnish, if desired
with orange slices and curls and chocolate ribbons.

*We prefer Dutch cocoa such as Droste in the cake layers for the
richest flavor (but the recipe will still taste good if you use
Hershey's cocoa).

Note: To make the orange curl garnish for the cake, use a citrus
peeler to peel strips of rind from an orange, or peel 1 orange with a
knife, leaving white pith on fruit. Cut orange rind into long, thin
strips. Wrap rind strips tightly around a pencil to create curls.
Freeze briefly, then remove orange rind strips from pencil.

Cream Filling

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup shortening
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation:

Combine flour and milk in a small saucepan; cook over low heat,
stirring constantly with a wire whisk, 3 minutes or until mixture
resembles a soft frosting and is thick enough to hold its shape. (Do
not boil.) Remove from heat; let cool.

Beat shortening and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer
until creamy, add flour mixture, orange extract and salt, beating
well. Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed 4 to 5 minutes or
until fluffy.

Grand Marnier Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation:

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add
chocolate, Grand Marnier, whipping cream and salt, beat well.
Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed for 5 minutes or until
spreading consistency.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Billy J Cotton, adapted from a recipe
by Southern Living


~~

MySpace URL:

http://www.myspace.com/duckie067