Orange Kiss-Me Cake

This was one of the first cakes I learned to bake. It came out of a very old cook book. It was a “one bowl cake”. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

ORANGE KISS-ME CAKE with Topping

1 large orange
1 cup seedless raisins
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cups sifted plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, unbeaten
1/4 cup milk

    Grind together pulp and rind of orange (reserve juice for topping), raisins, and walnuts, using food chopper.
     Sift together flour, soda, salt and sugar. Add shortening and 3/4 cup milk.
Blend at low speed, then beat at medium speed for 1/&1/2 min.
      Add eggs and 1/4 cup milk. Beat for 1&1/2 min.
Fold orange-raisin mixture into batter.
       Pour into 9x13x2-inch pan, well greased and floured.
       Bake 350 40 to 50 min.
NOTE: Can be baked in 8″or 9″ round pans at 350 35 to 40 min

    Orange-Nut Topping
      1/3 cup orange juice
      1/3 cup sugar
      1 teaspoon cinnamon
      1/4 cup chopped walnuts
 
Drip orange juice over warm cake. Combine sugar, cinnamon,
      and walnuts; sprinkle over cake.

Copied from Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking (1958)

Charm Pull Cake

    This is a fun cake for a bridal luncheon, bridal shower and even at the wedding.  The idea can be  traced back to the romantic Victorian era. A bride would hide small charms attached to ribbons beneath the icing of her wedding cake, then each bridesmaid and other selected people would pull a ribbon from the cake. Each charm with its special meaning foretold a coming event in ones life, good luck, romance, or good fortune.  The charms make a very nice party favor and keepsake as a remembrance of the event.

       Here is one style for the charm cake–a 10″ 2 layer square. The charms are placed just under the sugar flowers with the ribbons cascading across the cake.

           

Another idea is the “Bride Doll Cake”.

Here the charms are tucked in at the waist with different colors of ribbon.

You can make up your own meanings for the charms but here are a few of the ones I’ve found.

WEDDING BELLS—you will be the next to marry

BABY CARRIAGE—next new mother

PICTURE FRAME—picture a happy life for yourself

ENGAGEMENT RING—next to marry

WREATH—your house will be filled with happiness

TEAPOT—you are a hospitable and generous person

UMBRELLA—you will be showered with lots of love

SHIPS WHEEL—you will lead a life filled with adventure

WISHBONE—all of your wishes will come true

KEY—doors of opportunity will be open to you

SHAMROCK—you will be lucky when it comes to love

SUITCASE—you will travel to exotic and faraway places

Fresh Apple-Spice Cake

With the Fall season on the way, I begin to think about the apples and this recipe. It is so good and aromatic. It has been in my collection for such a long time I wish I could give credit to the person who gave it to me but I can’t remember who that was. It also has a glaze to be poured over warm cake but it’s good without it. Give it a try I’m sure it will become a favorite.

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon each of Cinnamon-& Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1cup chopped pecans

3 cups finely chopped apples

        Combine oil & sugar, beat. Add eggs. beat well. Sift dry ingredients together (flour,soda,salt,cinn,nutmeg). Add to egg mixture and beat well. Add vanilla, stir in nuts & apples. Place in greased & floured 10″ tube pan bake 350 for about 1hr.&15 min.

GLAZE for cake~ 1/2 cup granulated sugar – 1/4 cup buttermilk–      1/4 teaspoon soda –2 TBL butter–11/2 teaspoon vanilla

Boil 4 mins. stirring. Pour over cake. For extra moistness poke holes in cake & pour over the glaze.

Pineapple Pound Cake

This recipe I’ve had for a long time. It is so good, super moist and if you love anything pineapple you’ll love this, also another plus it doesn’t need a frosting of any kind just a topping of leftover pineapple poured over the hot cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 sticks butter

2 & 3/4 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour ( I use Martha White)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup UN-drained crushed pineapple & juice (reserve the rest for the  topping)

     Cream shortening & butter, adding  sugar slowly. Beat til fluffy. Add eggs. Sift all dry ingredients together, add alternately to sugar mixture with milk and vanilla.  Add pineapple and stir well. Bake in 10″ tube pan starting in a cold oven at 325 for 1& 1/2 Hrs.

Topping~

1/2 stick butter (soft)

1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup DRAINED crushed pineapple

       Stir all ingredients together and pour over HOT cake.

Peanut Butter Frosting or Filling

This recipe is so easy. It was not created by me. I can’t remember where I found it but I have used it many times.

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter ( I use the creamy style or you could use chunky)

1/2 cup butter- soft

       Cream butter & peanut butter together add powdered sugar and milk. Beat well.  This is so good as a filling for a chocolate cake.

Pink and White

I think I’m going a little dottie. As you can see a lot of the cakes I’ve decorated lately have DOTS. Seems there’s a growing trend here. This one has alternating pink and white dots. The pink doesn’t show to well because it’s so pale. Stacked off-set allows for the corners to be filled with fresh flowers. Cake flavors were yellow butter cake and chocolate cake.  The chocolate tier had peanutbutter filling one of my favorites. Taste like  Reese’s. The other fillings included chocolate and lemon in the yellow cake.

Closeup of top tier & flowers by Aldena

Shades of Teal

This I think was one of the prettiest cake that I have done in quite a while.  I like the alternating designs on each tier, a piped vine and the wavy line, easy to do, simple, but eye catching. I just love how the table cover and the flower colors matched so well.

Bridal Shower

 A sheet cake with lots of color. The bride was using beautiful pastel colors for her wedding, so that’s what I did for her shower cake. I made air dried butter cream flowers in all colors and placed them on each square and  created a nosegay for the center. The overall effect was just what she wanted, simple but beautiful.

Love Knot

Who says a wedding cake has to be tiered. This was for a second wedding and the bride did not want a traditional wedding cake, so I baked a 12×18 sheet cake and topped it with a 8″ round. The love knot was the brides idea too. I created it from fondant, I also made white roses and  brushed all of them with super pearl dust. The cake was a big hit with everyone.