Orange Dream Cake

This cake is so light, so citrus-y and has the perfect amount of sweetness. You will want to eat the whole damn thing.

I got this recipe from the cooking book ‘Mom’s Best Meals‘. The original recipe is supposed to make 2 8-inch cakes for layering. Instead I made just one 10-inch cake and sliced it right in half, because that’s just what I had on hand. What you do is up to you. I imagine baking 2 8-inch cakes would work better.

I also changed a couple of things to the ingredients, mostly because I am a freak about lemons. I love anything baked with lemons.

Here’s what the original recipe called for + my changes:

• butter, 2/3 cup, soft
• white sugar, 1 cup
• fresh orange juice, 1/2 cup
• fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup
• grated orange zest, 1 tablespoon
• grated lemon zest, 1 tablespoon
• eggs, 2
• all-purpose flour, 2 cups
• baking powder, 2 teaspoons
• salt, 1 teaspoon

Bake at 350˚F for 25 – 30 minutes.

Frosting:

• flaked coconut, 1 cup
• fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons
• grated orange zest, 2 tablespoons
• grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons
• heavy whipping cream, 1 cup

• In a medium sized bowl: beat 2/3 cup butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy.

• Add in the 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup lemon juice and mix just until incorporated.
• Then add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Mix again.

• Now add in the eggs and mix thoroughly.

• In another bowl, take 2 cups of flour and sift in 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well.
• Then add the flour mixture to the first mixture, and mix just until incorporated.

• Grease and flour your baking pan. For good measure, I cut out a 10-inch parchment circle and placed it on the bottom of the pan, so my cake will come out easy. In the original recipe the cake is baked at 375˚F for 25 – 30 minutes. I baked mine at 350˚F because my oven tends to get very hot.

• The cake is done when its nice and golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean.

• Now the frosting. This is an extremely easy recipe for frosting. Mix 1 cup of whipped cream, 1 cup flaked coconut, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons orange zest and 2 tablespoons lemon zest. Stir until everything is mixed.
• Divide the frosting in half; half for the middle and half for the top of the cake. The original recipe called for orange zest garnish but I used coconut because I absolutely love coconut!

And now, enjoy your light, fluffy cake.