We were recently invited to a get-together and I offered to make a cake for that evening. I thought of this cake since it had been a while I made it. Orange and almond work beautifully, so in keeping with the theme, I used a bit of orange jam with whipped cream and almond pralin to fill the cake. The buttercream is made with a sugar syrup, so it will hold very well in warm weather or at room temperature for a long time.
All the recipes and components are from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1". You can get the recipe for the almond pralin in the techniques section of this website.
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
- 1/4 pounds butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons), melted
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- Grated rind of 1 orange
- 1/3 cup strained orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup pulverized almonds
- 3/4 cup sifted cake flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- pinch of salt
For the cake filling
- Orange jam (I used Bonne Maman since it has bits of bitter rind that give it an extra touch)
- Mexican chocolate tablet (found in specialty stores, it is used to make hot chocolate) or dark chocolate if you can't find the specialty chocolate
- Whipped cream, with a bit of rum and confectioner's sugar whisked in
- Almond pralin (recipe here)
- Sliced toasted almonds
For the buttercream
- 1/2 pounds butter (2 sticks)
- 1 egg and 3 yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons rum
EQUIPMENT
- A 9-inch round cake pan, buttered and floured
- A candy thermometer
- A citrus grater
Preparing the cake
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until the mixture turns pale yellow and forms the ribbon.
- Grated rind of 1 orange
- 1/3 cup strained orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Whisk in orange rind, juice and almond extract until well incorporated.
- 3/4 cup pulverized almonds
- 3/4 cup sifted cake flour
Beat in the almonds, followed by the flour. Set mixture aside.
- 3 egg whites at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- pinch of salt
In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites until frothy. Add salt and continue beating until soft peaks form.
Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Turn off mixer and set egg whites aside.
- 1/4 pounds butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons), melted
Add butter to orange mixture, taking care to omit the milky residue at the bottom of the pan.
Fold butter into the orange mixture with a spatula.
Take your egg whites and stir in one fourth into the orange mixture.
Fold the remaining egg whites delicately and immediately pour into the floured pan, making sure the batter goes all the way to the rim.
Bake in the middle level of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. You will know the cake is done when it has browned, puffed and when it is springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Dislodge from mould by running knife around the edge and reverse onto cooling rack to cool completely. Cake can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated once cooled. But in this case, we'll power on with the recipe.
Preparing the Buttercream
- 1/2 pounds butter (2 sticks)
Cream the butter using a wooden spoon or a wire whisk until it is light and fluffy.
- 1 egg and 3 yolks
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks. Set aside.
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
Place sugar and water in a saucepan and over medium high heat in the stove, boil until it reaches 235˚F on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat and immediately start whisking the egg mixture while you slowly pour the boiling sugar in a stream of droplets.
Set a pan of almost simmering water on the stovetop and place the bowl with the egg mixture on it. Continue beating, lifting as much air as possible for 4 to 5 minutes, until it becomes foamy.
- 2 tablespoons rum
Remove mixture from heat, whisk rum. Prepare a large bowl with ice water and place the bowl over it. Continue beating until mixture has cooled to tepid.
Beat in the creamed butter until it reaches the desired consistency to use the buttercream on the cake.
Assembling and Decorating the Cake
Begin by cutting the sides of the cake to even out the edges, and slicing the cake in two layers using skewers and set strips of wax or parchment paper to collect any mess as recommended in this post.
- Orange jam
Spread a thin layer of orange jam over the bottom layer.
- Chocolate tablet
Grate the chocolate tablet over the orange jam until you have a thick layer.
- Flavoured whipped cream
Add a thick layer of whipped cream all the way to the edges.
- Almond pralin
Sprinkle a heavy coat of almond pralin over the whipped cream.
Place the other layer on top and even out the whipped cream to have even edges.
Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the sides and top of the cake. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Spread a thicker, even layer of buttercream over the cake.
- Sliced toasted almonds
Using a spoon, place almonds on side of the cake all around.
Continue decorating cake. In this case, I made a ruffle on the top edge with the leaf tip, and used the star tip to make decorations on the top and bottom edge.
The cake can be eaten immediately, or placed in the refrigerator for later. If you refrigerate it, I recommend you let it get to room temperature before cutting it as this buttercream will thicken considerably and hold well in warm weather.
