Orange Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting & Coconut

Orange Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting & Coconut

Orange Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting & Coconut

Makes two 9-inch round cakes – about 8 servings.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

• 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups flour or cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large oranges, peels & pith removed
• 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting (below)
• 10 oz apricot jelly
• 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray or coat with butter and then lightly with flour.

Zest the oranges and set the zest aside.

Remove the peels and the white pith from around and in the middle of the oranges. Place the oranges in a food processer or blender and process until slushy-like. (If you’d like, you can supreme cut the oranges instead; but, it’s more work. And as long as you remove most of the pith, it’s not really necessary.)

Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed while mixing the batter.

Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat together with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. This should take about 4 minutes at medium speed.

Add the eggs one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Turn the mixer down to low speed. Add about half of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk.

After the buttermilk is fully mixed in, add the oranges zest and the other half of the flour mixture.

Add the oranges. Mix until the batter comes together.

Pour the batter equally into the two prepared cake pans and place them in the preheated oven.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until a fork poked in the middle of the cakes comes out clean or they bounce back when lightly touched in the middle.

Carefully remove the cakes from the pans about 15 minutes after they come out of the oven. After the cakes have cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them back into the pans (this helps the cakes keep their shape). Freeze the cakes.

After the cakes are frozen, remove them from the freezer and unwrap them. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below) and frost the cakes. If desired, fill the middle of the two cakes with apricot jelly.

Top the frosting with the coconut. If desired, you can toast the coconut in a frying pan before coating the cake with it. If you prefer the pure, white look of coconut, I recommend not toasting it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup warm water, if needed

Mix cream cheese, butter, and salt together on a high setting until they’re light & fluffy. This might take a couple of minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix the frosting on the lowest setting. Cover with a clean towel during this so the powdered sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl. Add lemon juice. Add as much water as you need to make the frosting the consistency you’d like it to be. Turn up speed and whip for a couple more minutes.