Orange zest perfumes this butter-based cake with cream cheese frosting.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 10 |
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature, plus more for buttering the pans
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans (See Cook?s Note)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners? sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 cup cold heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment, butter again and dust the whole pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Put the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the granulated sugar and orange zest and pulse a few times to combine evenly. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, with some pea-size bits of butter.
- Whisk the milk, vanilla and eggs together in a small bowl or measuring cup with a spout. With the processor running, pour in the milk mixture and process until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
- Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and invert the cakes onto the rack. Peel off the parchment and cool completely.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners? sugar, vanilla and salt and gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until the sugar is incorporated and the frosting is fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. With the mixer running on low beat in the cream and then continue beating until the frosting is creamy and thick, about 1 more minute.
- Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate, and spread 1 cup of the frosting over the top. Top with the other cake layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 872 |
| Total Fat | 57 g |
| Saturated Fat | 34 g |
| Carbohydrates | 86 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 65 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 213 mg |
| Sodium | 448 mg |