I think that I’m starting to be more of a cake gal. I was never a huge fan of overly sweet cakes, with frosting a mile high, but there are cakes out there that are subtly sweet with jam packed flavors at the same time. This is where baking your own cakes comes in handy! You can choose precisely what you get, the ratio of frosting to cake, the amount of filling, what type of flavors for everything, and how you choose to present it. This Surprise Orange Cake was born from a surplus of oranges (it is orange season after all), and a strong desire for cake!
Down to the basics, this is a chiffon cake with an easy egg white whipped frosting (like most of my cakes here, I’m realizing). The 4th one in the books, I mean website blog. Anywho, they’re all so different because I’ve been playing around with the flavors. The past couple I’ve done were Coconut Poppyseed, Strawberry Chocolate, Pandan Coconut and this one – Orange. Just orange. Because I wanted the orange to shine. And just like all the others, this is dairy-free, to abide with my mild lactose intolerance.
Originally, this was going to be a naked cake (the kind where you don’t frost the sides), but quickly realized that it would look pretty all frosted up with the beautiful meringue. Plus, it would help with the surprise aspect. Until you cut the cake, you won’t realize that there’s a delicious orange curd inside and the best kind of chiffon cake too. So dig in and enjoy!
Also, I threw in some crushed freeze-dried raspberries for a little pink effect (I think it looks great for a Valentine’s wintry cake!).
Surprise Orange Cake
Ingredients
Orange Chiffon Cake
- 7 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1-1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp orange zest (zest of one large orange)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup orange juice (juice of one large orange)
- 1/2 cup soy milk
Orange Curd
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 Tbsp orange zest zest of one large orange
- 3 Tbsp orange juice juice of one large orange
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp vegan butter
Meringue Frosting
- 2 large egg whites
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp freeze dried raspberries, crushed (optional)
Instructions
- Orange Chiffon Cake: Using an electric whisk, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until it is foamy and increasing in volume. Then slowly add in 1/2 cup sugar and continue whisking for a few minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, orange zest).
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- In a third bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (egg yolks, 1 c sugar, oil, vanilla, orange juice) until pale yellow.
- Alternatively add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of milk to the wet ingredients, and continue adding the batches and whisking until well incorporated.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the egg whites. This is what makes the cake light, so if in doubt, under mix.
- Pour cake batter into 2 – 9″ cake pans, ungreased. Bake for 30 minutes. Then increase oven temperature to 350ºF and continue baking for about another 10 min, or until cake turns golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. To cool the cake, turn the cake and pan upside down on a cooling rack until room temperature. Then use a spatula to help release the sides and bottom of the cake from the pan.
- Orange Curd Filling: In a double boiler, whisk the ingredients except butter (egg yolk, sugar, zest, juice, salt) until mixture thickens to a spreadable consistency. Metal bowls work best to transfer heat. Remove from heat and strain out the zest. Then add butter and mix till a silky texture results. Cool to room temperature.
- Meringue Frosting: Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar on the top half of a double boiler on low heat.
- Using an electric whisk, beat the egg mixture until it begins to thicken. Then add in vanilla extract and continue whisking on med-high till stiff peaks form. Let it cool to about room temperature before use. Add to piping bag with a medium tip size.
- Assembly: Set the first cake on the serving plate. Pipe a ring of frosting near the edge. This helps keep the orange curd in and a surprise. Then pour in the curd and spread it till it fills the middle of the frosting ring. Layer the second cake on top and frost the top and sides. Start by creating a thin crumb coat to seal in all the crumbs. If you have extra frosting, pipe some decorations on top and crumble freeze dried raspberries to garnish. Optional blow torch to toast the meringue tops.
Notes
- Cream of tartar is essential for stabilizing the whipped frosting
- Double boiler method: Use 2 pots or a heat-proof bowl on top of a pot, where the lower pot has about 2-3 cups of simmering water
- Orange curd based on Sally's Baking Addiction
- For the orange curd, if it takes too long to cook, microwave mixture for 10-15 sec at a time until it starts to become bubbly. Then remove and add butter.
Did you make this recipe?
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