Recipe: Orange Sunshine Cake

ORANGE SUNSHINE CAKE
Source: Dairy Council of Utah
Servings: 12

CAKE INGREDIENTS:*
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange sections
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream**
2 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
mint leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 9x13-inch cake pan or 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla and orange peel, beat well.

Stir baking powder and salt into flour. Alternating, add flour and juice (1/3 at a time) to sugar/butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Spread cake batter in prepared cake pan(s).

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely.

Drain mandarin oranges, reserving juice. Measure 1/3-cup mandarin juice and combine with 3 tablespoons sugar; place in small saucepan and cover. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and cool. Brush over cake.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla to whipping cream (or use Stabilized Whipped Cream recipe*). Whip until stiff peaks form. Spread over cooled cake. Arrange drained orange slices on cake. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve within 1 hour.

*NOTES:
May substitute commercial cake mix for scratch cake above. Combine 1 box cake mix (18 oz.) with 1/2 cup melted butter, 3 eggs, 1 1/4 cups orange juice and 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel. Beat well. Follow baking instructions above.

**STABILIZED WHIPPING CREAM

Stabilized in this manner, whipped cream will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days without separating. Nice timesaving.

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Place water in microwavable dish. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and allow to soften (approximately 1 minute).

Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring and checking after each interval, until gelatin is dissolved. Cool to room temperature but do not allow to set.

Combine cream, sugar and vanilla. Beat on high until thick.

Reduce beater speed to low and gradually beat in gelatin.

Return beaters to high and continue to beat firm peaks form.

Source: Dairy Council of Utah