Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake.

Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake

(You'll need to start this cake a day ahead because the Fresh Orange Curd must chill for 8 hours.)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Fresh Orange Curd
3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted (optional)
Glazed Pecan Halves (optional)
Boxwood Garland (optional)

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until blended.
Combine flour and soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread 3/4 cup chilled Fresh Orange Curd between layers; spread remaining Fresh Orange Curd on top of cake. (The Fresh Orange Curd layer on top of cake will be very thick.) If desired, loosely cover cake, and chill 8 hours. (Chilling the cake with the curd between the layers helps keep the layers in place and makes it much easier to spread the frosting.) Spread 3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting on sides of cake, reserving remaining frosting for another use. Sprinkle 1/2 cup toasted coconut over top of cake, if desired. Arrange Glazed Pecan Halves around top edge of cake, if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Arrange Boxwood Garland around bottom edge of cake before serving, if desired.

Note: Cake may be frosted with Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting immediately after adding the Fresh Orange Curd, but the cake layers will not be as steady.


Fresh Orange Curd

You can substitute reconstituted orange juice for fresh; however, squeezing navel oranges only takes about 15 minutes and can make all the difference in this cake's fresh flavor.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups fresh orange juice (about 4 pounds navel oranges)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a 3-quart saucepan; gradually whisk in fresh orange juice. Whisk in lightly beaten eggs. Bring to a boil (5 to 6 minutes) over medium heat, whisking constantly.
Cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture reaches a pudding-like thickness. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and grated orange rind. Cover, placing plastic wrap directly on curd, and chill 8 hours. Makes about 3 cups.


Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans. Makes about 4 cups.


Glazed Pecan Halves

2 cups pecan halves
1/3 cup light corn syrup
Vegetable cooking spray

Combine pecan halves and corn syrup, stirring to coat pecans. Line a 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil; coat with cooking spray. Arrange pecan halves in an even layer in pan.
Bake at 350° for 12 minutes; stir using a rubber spatula. Bake 8 more minutes. Remove from oven, and stir; arrange in an even layer on wax paper, and let cool completely.


Boxwood Garland

2 dozen small sprigs fresh boxwood
3 dozen sour cherry candies*
Glazed Tangerine Seqments
Sugared Fruit Ribbons

Just before serving, arrange boxwood sprigs, cherry candies, Glazed Tangerine Segments, and Sugared Fruit Ribbons in a decorative pattern to form a wreath around the outer edges of your holiday cake.

Sugared Fruit Ribbons: Create ribbons from strawberry-flavored chewy fruit rolls by the foot. (They come in 4.5-ounce packages. One roll from the package will provide enough ribbon for the garland.) Unroll fruit roll, and remove paper backing. Using scissors, cut roll in half lengthwise to form 2 narrow ribbons. Brush both sides of each ribbon lightly with water, and sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar. Let dry for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Cut into desired lengths, and arrange as desired in the garland.

Glazed Tangerine Segments

Separate a peeled tangerine into individual segments, and brush lightly with corn syrup to create the look of glazed fruit.

*Sour cherry candies are available by the pound at Target and candy outlets. They are also available at some grocery stores in packages. Any round, red candies may be substituted.

Note: Boxwood makes a nice garnish but is poisonous if ingested, so be sure to warn guests not to eat it.