Sweet Orange Citrus Cake

I based the recipe for this cake off of a Greek recipe on my other blog for Ravani, a syrupy Greek lemon cake. I also made it with an orange jelly filling inside and sweet, slightly lemony, vanilla frosting on the outside. But what really makes this cake unique is the use of semolina, which gives the cake an almost cornbread-like texture and sweetness. You all can try it and find out for yourselves, enjoy the citrus!!!!

Ingredients:

Orange Cake

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Semolina

1/2 Cup Salted Butter

6 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Milk

Finely Grated Zest From 1 Orange, (about a tablespoon)

3 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 Teaspoons Orange Juice

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Peel from 1 Orange (optional)

Orange Jelly Filling

2 Oranges, Peeled

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Packet Unflavored Gelatin (about a teaspoon)

4 Drops Red Food Coloring

4 Drops Yellow Food Coloring

Lemon Vanilla Frosting

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

3/4 Cup Butter, softened

2 Tablespoons Water

2 and 1/2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice

1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the flour, semolina, and baking powder in a large bowl and set it aside. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until they are thoroughly mixed and become creamy in texture. Add the eggs one at a time and blend well after each addition. Stir in the milk, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice and the vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, about one cup at a time, until the cake mix is well blended. Pour an equal amount of cake mix into two well greased 8-inch cake pans. Bake in the oven for 30 - 45 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out fairly clean.

 

I am also going to warn you all that my oven stopped closing all the way today and was about 1/2 inch open when I made this, so it may take less time for all of you so just keep checking on the cake when it's in the oven. The cake will also look bubbly on top when it's done, like in the picture below. This is normal for semolina cakes.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a plate, then flip it again so that the part that was the top of the cake in the baking pan is still the top when it is laying on the dish. You should do this because the top part is very sticky and will get stuck to the bottom of the plate if you leave it upside down. Now, take the syrup that was reserved from the orange jelly and  drizzle about 2 tablespoons over each cake, making for 4 tablespoons total. Allow the cake to cool completely while the orange jelly solidifies in the refrigerator.

Once the jelly has thickened, coat the top of one of the cake halves with about 1 cm of orange jelly, leaving an inch of space around the edge of the cake so that the jelly does not come out the sides when you place the second layer on top. Place the second cake layer on top of the jelly layer and begin icing the sides and top of the cake with the lemon vanilla frosting. If you want, you can cut a circle out of the leftover orange peel and then cut several small strips out of the peel. Place the circle in the middle of the cake and surround it with the small strips of peel to create a circular border.

To make the orange jelly filling, cut the oranges' flesh into roughly 1-inch chunks, discarding any seeds, and set them aside. Bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for five minutes.

Add the oranges and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the orange chunks have partially disintegrated. Remove the mixture from heat and stir in the gelatin and vanilla extract. Bring the mixture to a boil again and simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes.

Strain out 4 tablespoons of syrup from the orange mixture and it set aside. Pour the orange mixture into a food processor or blender, add the food coloring and blend until the mixture is completely pureed. Place the puree into a small bowl and refrigerate it for two hours, or until the mixture has thickened to a jelly-like consistency.

To make the lemon vanilla frosting, mix all of the frosting ingredients together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed.

Continue mixing for five minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to the texture of frosting. If you want the frosting to be thinner, keep adding another teaspoon of water until it the frosting reaches your desired consistency.