Creamsicle Cake

this is the cake I built today

I replaced the fresh orange juice with high quality frozen-then-thawed orange juice concentrate for both the cake and the glaze
I also dropped one drop literally one drop only of almond extract into the glaze because oranges and almonds marry so well I also added an extra 1/3 cup of sugar to the glaze and I'm going to warm it up over a double boiler so it becomes syrup not just sugar and orange juice bumping into each other

this cake is going to be amazing the frozen-then-thawed orange juice concentrate was a great addition I know this because I licked the bowl clean several times

all of the bowl
and then the spatulas

it tastes exactly like the creamsicle ice cream I loved as a child the kind I got in parochial school a small wax cup with vanilla ice cream on one side and orange sherbet on the other side these came with small paddle shaped wooden spoons that made me shiver when I bit into them

I didn't use my big mixer I never do for cakes I find it over beats them I used my hand mixer to cream the butter sugar and eggs but I gently stirred everything else by hand then toward the end by spatula

I know if I had used the juice from the actual oranges who gave their zest for Jesus  my cake the cake would have tasted like watered down faint maybe hint of orange and the zesty taste of zest I know the cake is the right consistency because I've made cake before

it's in the oven the quiche is out and now some of the quiche is in me

and now I wait

*

Creamsicle Cake

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE:

·         1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for the pan

·         3 oranges, preferably organic

·         1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

·         3 cups/375 grams all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

·         2 cups/400 grams sugar

·         3 eggs, at room temperature

·         1 cup/235 milliliters buttermilk

FOR THE GLAZE:

·         ½ cup/120 milliliters fresh orange juice (Sunmaid Orange juice concentrate)

·         1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + one TINY drop of almond oil

·         ⅓ cup/66 grams sugar ( I added 2/3rds cup)

PREPARATION

Butter a deep, 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.      Finely grate the zest of the oranges into a bowl. Squeeze 3 tablespoons of juice from the oranges and add it to the zest. (Reserve remaining oranges for making glaze.) Stir in lemon juice and set aside.

3.      In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter at medium speed until fluffy and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

4.      At low speed, add a third of the dry ingredients and a third of the buttermilk, mixing until the batter is just combined. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, adding in batches and mixing until just combined. Add the orange zest mixture and combine.

5.      Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until just firm in the center and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are O.K.), about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Start testing after 1 hour.

6.      Meanwhile, make the glaze: Heat the juices and sugar over a double boiler until sugar dissolves.

7.      When the cake is done, let cool in the pan for 15 minutes (it will still be warm). Turn out onto a wire rack set on a sheet pan with sides (run a knife around the edges if it sticks at first).

8.      Peel off the paper and use a baster or brush to spread a few spoonfuls of the glaze over the top. Let soak in before adding more. Continue until all the glaze is absorbed by the cake, including any that drips through onto the sheet pan. (Use your brush to pick it up from the pan and transfer back to the top of the cake.)

9.      Let cool at room temperature. Eat immediately or wrap well in plastic and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature or cold, in thin slices.