Orange Cake for Easter

I was in the grocery store this weekend, forgetting how crazy the stores are the day before a holiday. I’m a precision shopper. I know what I want and 98% of the time I know exactly where it is so I can get in and out quickly. Unfortunately, most of the other shoppers I encountered on Saturday had no idea what they wanted and they clogged the aisles as they read labels or studied the shelves. I waited patiently behind one woman whose cart was parked on one side of the aisle while she stood in the middle of the aisle reading the label on a bottle of maple syrup. Then two other women came flying past, nearly running over the label reader and narrowly missing a large stock cart.

 

Every aisle was like a lane of traffic during rush hour, carts parked or crawling at turtle-like speeds. All of the chaos made me forget the only two ingredients, buttermilk and orange extract, I actually needed to make the mini Bundt cakes I had planned to make for Easter. Fortunately, I was able to stop at a less crowded store and pick up the buttermilk and I managed to make fresh squeezed orange juice work for the orange extract. Knowing the stores would be closed on Sunday in honor of Easter was the only thing that made all of the congestion bearable. I’m happy to support businesses that recognize the importance of honoring such an important day.

 

With my family all out of state, I was grateful to be invited over to a friends’ house for dinner to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. My small contribution to the meal was dessert, Orange Mini Bundt Cakes from the May/June issue of Tea Time.

 

 

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes

Makes 10-18 cakes

Depending on the size of your pans

 

1½ cps plus 3 tablespoons sifted cake flour

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes with Confectioners’ Sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup salted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups sugar

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

1 teaspoon orange extract

½ cup whole buttermilk

Garnish: Confectioners’ sugar

 

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees

*Spray 2 (12 well) mini Bundt cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour

(I used two 6 well pans and the batter filled 10)

*In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda, whisking well. Set aside.

*In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add orange zest and orange extract, beating to combine.

*Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed until incorporated. Divide batter evenly among wells of prepared pans. Tap pans on countertop to level batter and reduce air bubbles.

*Bake unit cakes are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, approximately 20 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling racks, and let cool completely.

*Before service, garnish cakes with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

 

6 well mini Bundt pan

Make-ahead tip: Cakes can be made a week in advance and frozen in an airtight container. Let thaw completely before garnishing and serving.