CHOCOLATE, ALMOND, & ORANGE CAKE

Chocolate, Almond, & Orange Cake image

Lynelle Caldwell came up with these wonderful combinations, and has two amazing recipes; one from scratch and one quick version. Me never being able to resist tweaking a recipe according to my whims, made it the following way, to share at bookclub. I was told this could/should be my signature cake, and it belonged in the fancy...

Provided by C C

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 29

Ingredients

1 pillsbury golden butter cake mix
1 c water
3 eggs
1/3 c butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp orange extract
1 tsp almond extract
FROSTING
4 c powdered sugar
1 c butter, softened
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla
AFTER SEPARATING OUT SOME WHITE ICING FOR MIDDLE ADD TO THE WHITE ICING:
1 tsp orange extract & 1/2 tsp. almond extract
TO THE REMAINING FROSTING ADD:
1 c cocoa powder
ADD 1/2-1 CUP WATER TO FROSTINGS AS NEEDED WHEN MIXING
ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS, ETC.:
chocolate chips, some chopped
toasted sliced almonds
rainbow dot sprinkles
poky sticks cut in thirds for helping keep structure of cake
finely minced beet, to add to batter of cake for color
orange taffy (optional, see recipe below)
ORANGE TAFFY
1/4 can(s) frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-9 inch round pans by lining the bottoms with wax paper circles, and buttering and dusting with flour. Place the cake mix, eggs, water, extracts & butter in a bowl. Add finely minced beet, if desired for color (it will turn the batter more orange colored, and leave red flecks like confetti in the cake.) Combine with mixer, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans, & bake according to package directions, 29-34 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks & remove from pans. Peel off wax paper & allow to finish cooling.
2. For frosting, combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and 1/2 cup water. Beat well. Remove a portion, which you will use to frost in between the 2 cake layers, and a small amount to create a swirl of white into the chocolate frosting on the top of the cake. Add orange extract to this portion, and a little powdered sugar if needed to get the consistency right. With the remaining frosting, add the cocoa powder, and any additional water needed.
3. When assembling the cake, frost the middle layer with the white frosting. Make a ring of chocolate chips along the outer edge. Poke the broken Poky sticks into the cake at intervals around the outer edge, and one in the middle, and then place the second layer of cake on top. Press down gently, securing your layers together. If you made orange taffy (by boiling the ingredients down into taffy consistency), you may place some on the top layer, either in a ring around the edge, or over the whole top. Frost the top and sides with chocolate frosting. I like to leave a gap on the sides in the middle so you can peak in on the middle white frosting layer. Use remaining white frosting to swirl into frosting on top of the cake. Make a swirl pattern using the chopped chocolate chips, on the top of the cake. Pipe star burst patterns with the chocolate frosting. Make a big star burst flower in the middle (5 starburst petals), and small starbursts staggered around the edge. I do some around the sides in the middle where the gap is, as well. Add colored dot sprinkles to sides and the flower on top, and then toasted almonds to the top of the side of the cake, with a few placed in the center star on the top of the cake.