Let there be cake!

To my darling mother,

I love you with my whole heart & cherish every moment we spend together.
God Bless & Happy Birthday!

xoxo,

your daughter
~

Yesterday, as most of you know, was my mother’s birthday. In celebration, I baked her a cake. As requested, I baked her a Marmalade Cake.

The cake was light and moist. I soaked the cake layers in a fresh orange syrup and finished it off with a sour cream frosting. The end result was a fresh sweetness, balanced off with a subtle tangy undertone. The marmalade complimented the contrasting flavors of the cake and cream with hints of savory citrus in every bite full.

In between the cake layers, I spread approximately 1/3 cup mixed berry jam with marmalade.

Marmalade Cake
(Semi-adapted from Cooking Light magazine, November 2003)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves 16

For Marmalade Cake you will need:

3 cups sifted cake flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar, plus ¼ cup
grated rind of 1 large orange
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 egg whites
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 cup milk
½ cup fresh orange juice

For Jelly Filling & Topping you will need:

1/3 cup total of mixed berry jam and marmalade, plus about ½ cup of marmalade

For Sour Cream Frosting you will need:

½ cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray or butter.

Lightly spoon sifted cake flour into large bowl with baking soda. Place butter in bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment. Beat butter first to avoid butter clumps in batter (about 2 minutes). Gradually add in 1¾ cups sugar until well blended. Beat in orange rind and vanilla. Add egg and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine buttermilk and milk in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared cake pans, and sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake for about 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack.

After cakes have cooled, combine orange juice and ¼ cup sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Pierce the cake layers with a wooden pick and slowly drizzle the juice mixture over cake layers. After cake layers are drenched with fresh orange syrup, carefully transfer 1 layer to a serving plate and spread with 1/3 cup mixed berry jam and marmalade. Top with remaining layer and spread ½ cup marmalade on top.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat heavy cream, teaspoon vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar until thick. Fold sour cream into whipped topping and spread over sides of cake. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

xx,
Tammy