Johlene Orton Travels Europe

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Orange Spiced Cake

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MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!!  I took a few days off to relax and enjoy the true meaning of Xmas and to spend wonderful times with family & friends.. I made Apple Pie, Cinnamon & Clove rolls, Bacon & Cheese Quiche and Banana Bread to add to our Xmas meal celebrations.. (I would like to make the Apple Pie again that I made as to share the recipe with you guys because I didn´t have time to take photos and I know you guys would love this Pie.. it´s perfect for those cold days and reminds me of Xmas..). 

FELIZ NAVIDAD a todos!! Me tomé unos días de descanso para relajarme y disfrutar del verdadero significado de La Navidad y pasar momentos maravillosos con la familia y amigos .. Hice un Apple Pie, rollos de canela y clavo, un Quiche de beicon y queso y un queque de plátano para agregar a nuestras celebraciones de comidas de Navidad .. (Me gustaría hacer la tarta de manzana de nuevo para compartir la receta con ustedes porque no hice fotos y sé que a ustedes les encantará esta tarta .. es perfecto para estos días fríos y me recuerda a la 
Navidad ..).


So about  today´s post.. This cake basically was invented by trying to make something else, realising it wasn´t going to work, changing my strategy and hoping for the best.. and the good news is:  IT DID WORK!!  I really like the flavour of this cake, rich Xmas flavoured spices i.e. cloves, cinnamon and ginger paired with an orange based frosting worked together perfectly… I would like to apologise for the colour of the photos.. it was taken in a hurry before rushing off to be in time for the party…

Así que sobre la entrada de hoy .. Esta tarta, básicamente, fue inventada al tratar de hacer algo más, dándome cuenta de que no iba a funcionar, cambiando mi estrategia y esperando lo mejor .. y la buena noticia es: QUE LO HICE!! Me gusta mucho el sabor de esta tarta, rico sabor con especias típicas navideñas, por ejemplo el clavo con la canela y jengibre  combinado en un frosting con base de naranja van muy bien juntos … Me disculpo por el color de las fotos .. las saqué con mucha prisa antes de salir corriendo para llegar a tiempo para la fiesta …

I dont have any photos of the cake when it was cut open, two reasons, 1. because I needed to keep it intact for the party I made it for and 2. because even though I could have taken a piece home, it collapsed while we were cutting it.. yes I confess.. it´s true 🙁  It wasn´t in the fridge beforehand at the party so by the time we cut it, it was warm and soft and I (not really thinking) just cut into it with vigor.. bad idea.. can I say that again.. BAD IDEA!!  A four level (very high) cake filled with frosting and soaked with a spiced syrup needs to be in the fridge to ensure when you cut it, it keeps its shape.. 😉  Note to self: DONT DO THAT AGAIN!


No tengo fotos de la tarta cortada por dos razones: 1ª. porque necesitaba mantener la tarta intacta para la fiesta y 2º. porque a pesar de que podría haber tomado un pedazo de casa, la tarta se derrumbó mientras la cortábamos .. sí, lo confieso .. es verdad 🙁 No estuvo en la nevera antes de la fiesta y cuando la cortamos estaba algo tibia y blanda y yo (sin pensar) la estaba cortando con vigor .. mala idea .. lo puedo decir otra vez .. MALA IDEA!! Cuatro niveles (muy alta) de tarta rellena con crema de vainilla con un jarabe condimentado de sirope tiene que estar en la nevera para asegurarse de que usted la corte mantenga su forma ..;-)  Nota a mi misma: ¡NO LO HAGAS OTRA VEZ!

Anyhow the cake was a huge success, everybody (well I think everybody) liked it 🙂  In the end there wasn´t much left and most of the people at the party took seconds home 😉  Since it was a Xmas Party I decorated the topped with some little white sprinkles, gold glitter and most importantly some Xmas chocolate trees which I made the day before and kept them in the freezer to keep their shape.

De todos modos la tarta fue un gran éxito, a todo el mundo (bueno, creo que todo el mundo) le gustó 🙂 Al final no sobró apenas nada y la mayoría de la gente se llevo algo a casa 😉 Ya que era una fiesta de Navidad, yo decoré la parte de arriba con algunos pequeños confites blancos, brillo dorado y lo más importante, algunos árboles de Navidad de chocolate que hice el día anterior y que guardé en el congelador para mantener su forma.


RECIPE
Hagan clic en las galletas navideñas para ver e imprimir la Receta en Espanol 

Ingredients

 Cake (enough for 4 levels of 24cm moulds):

  • 700g of flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp of baking powder
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 tsp grounded cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp grounded ginger
  • 1/2 tsp grounded clove
  • 4 eggs
  • 250g of butter without salt at room temp
  • 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1 cup of buttermilk (make your own:  1 cup milk + 15ml lemon juice)
  • 1 tsp of vanilla essence/paste
  • 30ml of oil (I used sunflower)
Soaking syrup:
  • 125 ml water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp grounded cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp grounded ginger
  • 1/2 tsp grounded clove

Filling:

  • 1 tub of full-cream cream cheese
  • 250g of butter without salt at room temp
  • 1 tsp of vanilla essence/paste
  • 1 jar of orange marmelade (bitter)
  • 2 cups of icing sugar (sifted)

Frosting:
(to cover the cake)

  • 250g of butter
  • 1 cup sifted icing sugar
  • orange zest of 1 orange
  • 200g of melted white chocolate (cooled to room temperature)

Method

For the Cake:

Pre-heat the oven at 180ºC and grease your moulds. Sift all the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add the eggs 1 by 1 then the vanilla. Now add the dry ingredients and slowly add the buttermilk. Finally add the oil. Make sure you don´t overmix your batter!  Bake for 25-3o minutes.  I divided my batter inbetween 4 moulds, therefore my baking time was reduced. If you divide your batter into 2 moulds (you can cut your 2 layers into 2 to create 4 layers at the end), you need to bake it for aprox 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.  Leave to cool completely.

Soaking syrup:

At medium heat bring the water and sugar to a boil on the stove top, take off as it begins to boil and the sugar is dissolved, now add your spices and vanilla essence and mix well.  Leave to thicken for a little while and when your cakes are cooled, brush the surface of your 4 levels with the soaking syrup. Leave to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes before filling.

Filling:

Mix all your ingredients on high speed in a blender and when done leave to cool in the fridge to firm up.  Fill your cake, making sure each level has the same quantity.  Leave your cake in the fridge for a further 30 minutes to set with the filling.

Frosting:

Mix all your ingredients on high speed in a blender and use it to crumb coat your cake. Place your cake in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the crumb coat has set.  Now frost your cake for the 2nd time and decorate it to your liking 🙂


I truly hope you all had a blessed Xmas filled with love, laughter and hope.. Until next time!

Yo verdaderamente espero que todos hayan tenido una Navidad bendecida llena de amor, alegría y esperanza .. Hasta la próxima!





Comments

  4. Danguole says

    Beautiful! I love the orange and spice theme–again, I’m so tired of seeing peppermint and red/green everywhere! I bet this was delicious, collapsed or not.

    Reply

    • Johlene Orton says

      Haha! My entry before this one was peppermint with red & green colours… 🙂 Uffff glad you didn´t see that one!! Xx

      Reply

  5. Lola FrambuesayCaramelo says

    Yo también desconecte con la familia! Preciosa y deliciosa tarta!! Una maravilla para estas fiestas desde luego 😉

    Feliz 2014, te deseo un año fabuloso con los tuyos un besote!

    Reply

    • Johlene Orton says

      Thanks so much!! Yes it was a huge dissapointment to me.. but it will teach me to keep a cake of that size in the fridge before cutting it!! Xx

      Reply

    • Johlene Orton says

      Wow so you like orange.. my favourite colour is green but I prefer not to make a green cake..lol! Happy New Year to you too!!

      Reply

  16. Marga de Azafranes y Canelas says

    Una receta super completa y de la más apetecible!! Muy bien explicada, muchas gracias por la idea Johlene!! Felices fiestas!! besotes

    Reply

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