All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [45]
4. Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, 20 minutes longer.
5. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting: Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Add the 1 tablespoon of orange juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3½ cups of the confectioners’ sugar. Beat on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 20 seconds. Add another ¼ to ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar if the frosting is too runny. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 30 seconds longer. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator until it is time to assemble the cake.
6. To assemble the cake, transfer one layer, right side up, to a serving plate. Spoon the filling over the top of this layer and evenly spread it almost to the edge. Spoon about 1 cup of frosting on top of the filling and spread it evenly almost to the edge. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first. Spoon another cup of frosting on top of the cake and spread it over it. Frost the side of the cake with the remaining frosting, working with smooth, clean strokes. To make slicing easier, place the uncovered cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Garnish the cake with the fresh pineapple or peach slices or chopped macadamia nuts, if desired, just before serving.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver or loosely covered with waxed paper, in the refrigerator for up to five days. Freeze the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Let the cake thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Get Out Your Sharpest Knife
The secret to incorporating nuts into a cake batter is to chop them finely. If nuts are not chopped finely they are distracting because they fall off the slices and just seem to take your attention off the cake. And, they can dry out a cake, possibly by drawing moisture out of the batter. So, I just make sure nuts (as well as the coconut in the Hawaiian Wedding Cake) are chopped once, and then again for a fine consistency. And I make sure there is adequate liquid in the cake to offset the nuts.
PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE
WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS COOL and warm summer days fade into the much anticipated crisp days of fall, change is in the air. Not only in the garden but also in the kitchen where we bake those harvest cakes of spices and autumn fruits and vegetables. In our family, that means apple and pumpkin. This cake is a delicious and easy way to pull together a pumpkin cake, either for dinner at home, a fall birthday, or Halloween. For Halloween parties you might want to tint the frosting with a bit of orange food coloring, or you might want to bake this recipe as twenty to twenty-four cupcakes.
serves:
12 to 16
prep:
25 minutes
bake:
25 to 30 minutes
cool:
25 minutes
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
Flour, for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain spice cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
3 large eggs
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (page 474), or Cream Cheese Frosting (page 471)
Candied Orange Zest (page 42) or ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (see page 204)