Edward Kostyra's Birthday Cake
i.e. Orange Fudge Cake
Cupcake Ranking: 4 Cupcakes
Do you remember those chocolate oranges that are sold around Christmas time? You smack them on the table and they break into wedges....This cake tastes exactly like that. If you haven't the foggiest what I am talking about, this cake is a delicate vanilla cake with orange curd in between the layers. The frosting is a thick fudge. Very delicious. The longer the cake sits the better!
Ingredients
For the Frosting
16 oz Semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
2 2/3 C Heavy cream
1 tsp Light corn syrup
For the Cake
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted Butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 1/2 C all-purpose Flour, plus more for pans
1 1/2 C Cake flour, not self-rising
1 Tbs Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1 3/4 C Sugar
4 large Eggs
2 tsp pure Vanilla extract
1 1/4 C Milk
For the Orange Curd
12 large Egg yolks
Zest of 2 oranges
1/4 C plus 2 Tbs freshly squeezed Orange juice
1/2 C plus 1 Tbs freshly squeezed Lemon juice
1 1/2 C Sugar
1/4 tsp coarse Salt
1 C (2 sticks), plus 5 tablespoons unsalted Butter, cold, cut into small pieces
Make the frosting: Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Pour over chocolate and let sit, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Gently whisk until combined and smooth. (A lot of the cake reviews complained that the frosting was runney. So, just put the chocolate mixture back in the saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes. You will be able to feel the chocolate thicken. Be sure to stir the entire time or the chocolate will scorch.) Whisk in the corn syrup.
Let chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, then transfer ganache to refrigerator and chill, stirring frequently (like ever 20 minutes) and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula, until slightly stiff and cool enough to spread, about 1 hour (More like 2 or until it is frosting texture). If frosting becomes too firm, briefly place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until desired consistency is reached. Frosting should be smooth and spreadable, but not runny.
Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch
(I used 9x2 and it was fine) round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off the parchment. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
Make the orange curd: Combine yolks, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let mixture come to a vigorous simmer and cook, continually scraping sides of pan, for 2 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. If desired, strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl.(You are going to want to. This is a TON OF ZEST. Just put it in through a sieve and the curd is buttery, citrusey and really delicious). Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until chilled and very firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 1/2 weeks.
Assemble cake: Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes to make level. Split each layer into two, for a total of four. Place bottom layer on a rotating cake stand and with an offset spatula, carefully top with 1/2 cup of orange curd, leaving a 1-inch border. Place the second cake layer on top, spread with another 3/4 cup of the orange curd. Repeat with the third layer; top with the final cake layer. Insert 3 wooden skewers into the top of the cake to secure.(This is a must. The cake will slide everywhere. The skewers help secure it while the cake chills and stabalizes)
For the crumb coat, spread the entire cake with a thin coat of frosting using an offset spatula.
Spread the entire cake with remaining frosting, swirling to coat in a decorative fashion. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered with a cake dome. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Rach's Review: This cake is really yummy. If you want the curd thicker use a smaller pan (such as the 8x2). I wouldn't go much smaller than and eight inch cake simply because the recipe makes a large amount of cake. The fudge frosting combined with the citrus cake is really delicious. I highly recommend this cake.
