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as suitable for fall football tailgates as it is for a winter holiday buffet, springtime graduation brunch, or summer picnic. If you don’t have a fresh orange, just omit the zest and use good-quality orange juice from a carton instead.

Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan

Flour, for dusting the pan

1 large orange (see Notes)

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix, or 1 package (18.5 ounces) plain butter recipe golden cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup medium-dry sherry (see Notes)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

2. Rinse and pat the orange dry with paper towels. Grate enough zest to measure 1 teaspoon. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons of orange juice for the glaze. If there is not ½ cup of juice left, add enough orange juice from a carton to make ½ cup. Place the orange zest and the ½ cup of orange juice in a large mixing bowl.

3. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, sherry, melted butter, and poppy seeds in the bowl with the orange juice and zest. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the batter is smooth, 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.

4. Bake the cake until it is just starting to pull away from the side of the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 43 to 48 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

5. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small mixing bowl and whisk in the reserved 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Slide the cooled cake onto a cake plate. Pour the glaze over the cake, then slice it and serve.

Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver, at room temperature for up to one week. Freeze the cake in a cake saver for up to six months. Let the cake thaw overnight on the counter before serving.

Notes: You will need ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest. Choose a juicy orange, such as a Valencia or temple, not a seedless orange like a navel that does not have a lot of juice. If you want to use only fresh orange juice in the cake, you may need more than one orange, just so you have enough juice for the cake and the glaze. And yet, you never know how much juice an orange will yield.

Recipe Reminders

MADE FOR

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PREP NOTES

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DON’T FORGET

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SPECIAL TOUCHES

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10 Perfect Do-Ahead Cakes That Freeze Well

Here are some of the best cakes in this chapter to freeze.

A LIGHTER SUSAN’S LEMON CAKE

PAGE 162

ORANGE POPPY SEED POUND CAKE

PAGE 171

CATHY’S MARBLED SPICE CAKE

PAGE 186

KATHY’S CINNAMON BREAKFAST CAKE

PAGE 191

CINNAMON SOUR CREAM COFFEE