Tuesday 17 March 2009

mmmmm . . . . it's hard to talk with your mouth full of cake . . .



My friend Lura, lives in California. It's really warm where she lives, and she and her husband have a wonderful orchard full of lots of citrus fruit . . . like pomelo's, lemons, grapefruits, kumquats and oranges! I have always wondered what it would be like to just walk out your door and be able to pick an orange or a lemon when you need one. It must be lovely, and I can only imagine how wonderful it must smell when they are in blossom!!!

I tried to grow a lemon tree once, using some seeds from a lemon. It didn't work very well, but then, I have a notoriously black thumb. Then again, that's another story. You are probably sitting there thinking . . . why all the talk about oranges and lemons and orchards . . .

Welcome to Tuesday's With Dorie, that wonderful baking group that gets together once a week and bakes a delicious recipe from that equally as delicious baking book, "Baking, from my home to yours," by the most bakingest authoress around . . . the lovely Dorie Greenspan!



This week's recipe was the French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze on pages 224-225, as chosen by Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction. Liliana, what a fabulous choice!

This is a beautiful cake and sooooooooooo easy to make! You can whip it together in no time at all, using very little equipment and with very little effort. You basically just whisk the dry ingredients together and whisk the sugar and wet ingredients together and then bang the whole lot together! Well . . . kinda. You do have to fold in the oil at the end, but easy peasy. My favourite part is rubbing the zest into the sugar. What a beautiful smell! I think they ought to bottle that and sell it. They'd make a million on it!



One of the things I loved most about this recipe was the fact that, after you had the cake baked, there was lots of room for playing around. I decided that I would do an orange version of it and so used orange zest and a touch of orange oil in the actual cake batter. I also added a hint of ground cardamon. Oh my, but did it smell wonderful when it was baking!! (You could also bake it in either a loaf tin or a round tin. Me, I'm a round cake kind of a gal!)

Once the layer was completely cooled the fun started. I had a think and decided to cut my layer in half through the middle horizontally. I can draw anything under the sun. I can sew and make beautiful dresses and other things. I can make dolls, teddy bears, and sock monkeys . . . I can do all sorts . . . but . . . believe it or not, I cannot draw or cut in a straight line. I am almost ashamed to show you this . . .




Yes, it is a layer cake that looks completely even on the outside, but when you get to the inside . . . well . . . the picture speaks for itself! You can well imagine the haircuts my children used to go to school with when they were young enough to trust me with a pair of scissors around their hair . . . oy vey!!! I once had a barber tell my son not to let his mother near his head with the scissors again . . . the shame, the shame . . .




I filled my cake with layers of orange curd and vanilla butter cream. I glazed it with some melted orange marmelade. YUMMO! This was a hit! We had company at the weekend and had suffered through an awful dry Victorian Sponge at a tea room on Saturday afternoon, so this cake was a real treat for all of us! It made the memory of that awful Victorian sponge even more awful. There was just no comparison.



But then . . . a picture says a thousand words. Don't take my word for it though . . . hop on over to Liliana's page , scoop the recipe, and make it for yourself! You will adore this cake. I guarantee!



Please do take a look at all the other lovely versions baked by the other members as well, by taking a gander at the Dorie Blog Roll. There are sure to be some incredible versions from this very talented group of bakers! Thanks Liliana for choosing a wonderful recipe for us to bake!

Next week's recipe is the Blueberry Crumb Cake on pages 192-193, as chosen by Sihan of Befuddlement. Oh goodie, goodie. I LOVE BLUEBERRIES!



34 comments:

  1. Good Morning Marie,Thanx for the imfo on your followers list and I havn't had a post show up from you since the 11th.Not to worry I have rectified that today and put myself back on your followers list.Maybe blogger doesn't like my mushy face showing up so early each morning LOL!!What a super cake that is.It's enough to light up any Irish eyes today,I love Marmalade and Oranges so I will have to try this one sometime.Happy to know you are well.The post showed up today ? strangely enough ? Have a lovely St PatricksDay Marie and Todd.Take Care God Bless Kath xx

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  2. What a super cake! I can't cut in straight lines either and I can't do half those other things you can do.

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  3. Ooooohhhhhhh I bet that orange with the buttercream was Heaven!! YUMM!!!

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  4. I can't cut in a straight line either! Here's a foolproof way to do it. You'll need a tape measure and a knife with a long, pointed blade:

    Measure half way up the cake from the bottom. With the point of the knife toward the centre of the cake and the flat of the knife horizontal, push the knife in one single time then withdraw it.

    Do this at intervals around the circumference of the cake (every couple of inches or so).

    Then just "join the dots" by cutting from one cut to the next.

    OR......get somebody else to do it! Keith's brilliant at cutting straight and his rates are very reasonable! Also available for hanging pictures.

    love, Angie, xx

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  5. Great cake!!! I absolutely loved mine too!!!

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  6. It would be nice to have all those fresh fruits outside our door, but our weather here doesn't give us the option of anything but apples, pears and peaches or berries. Oranges and lemons and such come from the southern states or out west where it is much warmer. I've read of people that have green houses or conservatories where they can grow them and always thought how wonderful that would be. Your cake looks and sounds so scrumptious. You are always using something different. Like the cardemon you mentioned. I don't think I've ever used it.
    I hope your Tuesday is a great one!
    'On Ya'-ma

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  7. with all that good stuff in the middle, who cares if the middle is a little low:) the cake looked scrumptious!

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  8. It looks gorgeous with all the shiny glaze on top and vanilla cream!!

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  9. Oh, this looks so decadent and delicious, Marie! I'm swooning...LOL! That orange and butter cream...mmm...I would like to try this with the pink grapefruit-based marmalade I make at Christmas. I'm a round cake gal too ;o) And I can't cut a cake in half perfectly either--ha! Our anniversary today...I made your Peanut Butter Picnic Cake...Hubby love that! Have a sweet day, my friend! Hope we get to talk soon! LOVE YOU ((BIG HUGS))

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  10. Wow, Marie that cake looks amazing! I am thinking that someday when I am much thinner I will try it. Right now i am strictly observing the rules of Weight Watchers and have lost a
    little over 20 pounds so cake is but a faint memories at this point. But on a special occasion I would love to try this! Thank you for visiting my blog too, Marie and for leaving the comments. They are so appreciated!

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  11. well,I can't draw anything, sew much at all, or make sock monkeys. and I ALSO can't cut a cake worth a flip either. but this looks and sounds so amazing. yum!!!!

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  12. Oh goodness. I'm drooling. My coffee is brewing right now and what I wouldn't do for a piece of that lovely cake. AT 8:30 am!!!

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  13. I loved rubbing the zest into the sugar! It gave off the most wonderful smell! Your cake is making my mouth water!

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  14. wow, that cakes looks WOW!

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  15. My that cake looks so good. You do such a wonderful job taking pictures of your fabulous creations... I guess being a photographer is just another of your many talents so I wouldn't worry about being "cutting in a straight line" challenged. I have the same problem cutting home made bread straight. My slices are usually fine at the top and either too big or too small at the bottom. I do better with cake because I wrap a thread all the way around the side of the cake and pull it through. It usually is pretty even when I do it that way. You might try that next time and see if it works for you.

    Our orchard is wonderful. How I wish that you were here to share the fruit with. I am spoiled about getting fruit from my back yard. When I was at Lynell's at Thanksgiving, I needed a lemon to make a recipe. I almost had a stroke when I had to pay a dollar to buy just one lemon. I could hardly make myself do it.

    I am sending you love and hope that we can visit on the phone later this morning. Hugs, Lura

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  16. WOW! Your cake looks awesome!

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  17. Oh my goodness Marie - that cake is gorgeous! Almost too good to eat!

    My mom had wonderful orange trees in her yard in California before she moved here. I loved going over and filling up a bag to bring home with me when I visited.

    XOXO
    Jen

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  18. Orange curd and vanilla buttercream sound fantastic in this cake! And it looks beautiful...I don't know why you think the inside of the cake isn't as beautiful as the outside. I'm glad you were able to wow your guests!

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  19. Oooh your cake looks amazing, especially the orange curd in the middle and glaze on top! Mmm :)

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  20. I can't cut in a straight line either. And my slice of cake always seems to be larger than anyone elses...particuarly the amount of frosting (gravy)...

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  21. Your cake looks wonderful! You have totally inspired me to try a round version of this cake!

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  22. Your pictures are simply luscious looking... the light glaring in the marmelade makes it heavenly!

    WOW! How very well done, Marie!

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  23. You're right.. you can do so much with this cake.. yours looks sooooo good!

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  24. Orange curd and vanilla buttercream sound wonderful. Your cake looks gorgeous.

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  25. My grandparents lived in Florida and every summer we would visit. Picking breakfast oranges and grape fruit off the tree was a treat. Your cake looks a treat, too. Orange would be perfect.

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  26. Marie we have something else in common, If somebody told me if I did'nt cut a cake in half straight they'd give me a beatin...I'd most surely get a beating cause that's one thing I can't do to save my life!! I love what you did with this cake YUMMY!!!

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  27. Oh Yum!!! Doesn't matter that the cut isn't straight! It looks delicious! I loved rubbing the zest into the sugar as well!

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  28. Beautiful cake and with buttercream too! Yummy. I had mine with plain yogurt and lemon curd, really good :)

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  29. I use an unflavoured waxed piece of dental floss wrapped around it and then criss cross, and pull.. to cut my cakes horizontally. I can't cut straight with a knife to save my life. You should see my tomato slices. LOL

    We had a lime tree when we lived in Florida. I swear it lived to exasperate us. It gave us about 5 limes every year. ::shakes head::

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  30. Your cake looks delicious! Great pictures! I really enjoyed this recipe too. :)

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  31. Whoa, that looks and sounds absolutely fantastic! I love the filling idea - so wonderful! As for slicing things in half evenly, I tend to mark (using a ruler) the halfway mark on about a half dozen points around the cake, stick toothpicks on this marks, and cut on top of the toothpicks. Saves me a lot of unevenness :)

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