Orange-Almond Cake

Hello again, dear friends.  I'm so happy to be back and I thank all of you for your kind comments and e-mails welcoming me back.

Thanksgiving Day also happened to be Aunt Khalie's birthday.  I simply had to make her a cake to go along with all that pie on the menu.

I went with Dorie Greenspan's French Yogurt Cake for several reasons.  First, it's incredibly delicious.  Second, it's my go-to cake.  Third, it is easy to make and easy to alter depending on the occasion.  (This is a great article about Dorie's cake including tips and the original recipe.)

I doubled the recipe and used three, round 9" cake pans.  The cake is filled with orange-elderflower marmalade (from IKEA) and frosted with a traditional French Buttercream flavored with Grand Marnier.

Forgive the lack of pictures.  There was so little leftover cake.  I'm sure you understand.  What with the delicate almond cake and creamy, rich buttercream--can you blame us for licking the platter clean?

One quick thing--this cake would be great for a Christmas party.  You can totally play around with the flavors if you wanted.  You could could add some spices--cinnamon, cardamom, and/or a pinch of cloves would be fab.  You could serve it sans frosting but with a dollop of whipped cream instead.  There are so many things you could do here.  Bittersweet chocolate ganache glaze...or milk chocolate.  Mmm.  Go crazy and then tell me all about it so I can try it.

Orange Almond Cake
slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking:  From My Home to Yours

For the cake:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup ground almonds (I used Trader Joe's almond meal)
4 teaspoons baking powder (decrease by 1/4 tsp. for high altitude)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups granulated sugar
Zest of 1 navel orange
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt (Greek style would be great here)
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp.pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 cup canola or other mild or flavorless oil

For the filling:
Juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
1/2-1 cup sweet orange marmalade (I used the one from IKEA with elderflower in it)

1 recipe Grand Marnier French Buttercream (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour three, round 9" by 2" cake pans, line the bottom with a parchment or waxed paper round.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Place the granulated sugar and orange zest in a large bowl.  Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is damp and aromatic.  Add the yogurt, eggs, vanilla and almond extract whisking vigorously until the mixture is very well blended. While whisking, add the dry ingredients, then switch to a large rubber spatula and fold in the oil.  (Actually, I always forget to add the oil at the end and toss it in at the same time as the yogurt and eggs.  It always turns out fine.)

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans--each will get roughly 2 cups of batter.  Spread evenly in the pans and place in the oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until nicely golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before carefully removing cakes from the pans to finish cooling.

When the cakes are cool, carefully trim the tops of each cake so they are flat.  (My cakes always seem to fall a little in the center now that I live at a high altitude.)

Filling and Assembling the Cake:

In a very small saucepan, stir together the orange juice, sugar and Grand Marnier.  Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat and let cool.  (It should remain a thin syrup.)  This will be the soaking syrup that will be brushed on each layer as the cake is assembled.

Stir the marmalade a bit to loosen it.  (Do not add water to thin it out.)

Place one of the cake layers on a cake plate or serving platter.  Brush the entire layer with a bit of the orange syrup.  Let it soak in for a few minutes.  Spread a few tablespoons of the buttercream thinly over the cake.  Top with a modest amount of orange marmalade (1/4 to 1/2 cup) leaving about 1/2" border around the edge.  Top with the second layer and repeat with orange syrup, buttercream and marmalade.  Discard any unused orange syrup.  Place third layer on top.

Apply a thin layer of the buttercream to create a crumb coating.  Chill for 15 minutes or so.  Apply the remaining buttercream and decorate as desired.

Chill until ready to serve.  Before serving allow the cake to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to allow the buttercream to soften a bit.  (It just tastes a bit better at room temp, but it's fine if you serve it ice cold too.)

Makes one, three layer 9" cake to serve 12-16 people



Grand Marnier French Buttercream

6 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 lb. unsalted butter (I used Plugra and it was awesome!)
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks on high until thick and pale.  In the meantime, cook the sugar and water in a saucepan until it is 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer.  Just before the syrup comes up to temperature, turn the mixer on.  With the mixer running, drizzle the syrup down the side of the bowl.  When all the syrup has been added, beat on high speed until it reaches room temperature.

Turn the mixer down to medium-high speed and add the butter one tablespoon at a time.  Once all the butter has been added, turn the mixer back up to high and beat until the buttercream is smooth, creamy and no longer looks curdled.  (Keep beating if it does look curdled.  It will come together--I promise.)  Add the Grand Marnier and beat a little longer.  Set aside until ready to use.  Chill it will be longer than 30 minutes.  (You might end up with a puddle if your kitchen is hot.  Also, it's got eggs in it.  Be careful not to let it sit out too long.)

You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate it tightly covered for a week or so, or freeze for a month or so.  It will need to come to room temperature and be beaten again to restore the proper texture.

Communal + Breakfast + A Giveaway

One of the best perks of being a blogger is going to blogger events with friends at great restaurants.  Such was the case when I was invited to have breakfast at Communal this past Saturday morning.

When I first heard Communal would be serving breakfast, I was overjoyed.  I've patiently waited and waited.

As my husband and I were driving through Provo one day, we passed Communal.  I thought about how wonderful it is for Provo and my community to finally have a decent place to go out for breakfast or brunch.

There are not many places that serve breakfast to begin with--just chain restaurants and diners.  My family does not eat at chain restaurants, and rarely at diners.  Besides, when I go out for a meal, I want to be served REAL food.  The kind of food like I would make at home.

Communal did not disappoint me.

We were served steel-cut oatmeal first.  Our family has a love affair with steel-cut oats.  We eat them or regular oats practically every morning.  I enjoyed this part of the meal for its simplicity.  Anyone can make oatmeal, but eating it made by someone else (the right way) was nice.  It was served with a small pitcher of milk, a dish of brown sugar and dried bananas.

I had to take a closer look at the dried bananas.  I abhor banana chips, so I will admit I was hesitant to try the dried banana pieces.  They were actually quite delicious.  They were chewy and slightly tart.  The banana flavor wasn't at all overpowering.

Then we sampled the best granola in the entire world.



I think this is what makes Communal my favorite restaurant.  They can do simple or fancy, and they do both equally well.  Granola may seem like something boring or something you could just grab out of the bulk bin at the supermarket.

Folks, not all granola is created equal.  This was granola perfection.  Each element maintained its own flavor--nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and grains--yet there was a general melding of flavors at the same time.  I hope they bag this and sell it.  Because I'd buy it for myself and to give as a gift.

We sprinkled the granola over thick, tangy Greek yogurt and drizzled it with sweet honey.  I had to be nice and share with my friends, but I wanted to elbow them out of the way and lick the bowl clean.

The beverages were impressive too.  I didn't try any of the hot drinks, but everyone who did raved.  My beverage of choice was the grapefruit juice from our local Winder Dairy.  It was a tough choice between that and apple juice from Allred Orchards, another of our favorite local businesses.

The giant blueberry muffins were delightful.  Baking them in parchment paper "cups" is brilliant.  The crust of the muffin had a sweet crunch that gave way to a light, airy, soft interior studded with tart berries.

Carina was kind enough to split the old fashioned baking powder biscuit for us to share.

Again, perfection.  It was crispy on the outside and light on the inside.  It melted in my mouth.

Now imagine this biscuit topped with a creamy, sausage gravy.  (I didn't get a great shot of that, so you'll have to use your imagination and trust me.)

There were so many other menu items left to try.  All of them met and exceeded my high expectations.

A chorus of oohs and aahs could be heard when the French toast was placed before us.  French toast made from housemade bread baked in a pain de mie pan.  It was lovely with the apples, whipped salted butter, and real maple syrup.

Baked Eggs with Housemade Chorizo and Tomatoes.  It was so rich.  I'd already sampled everything you saw above, so it was hard to appreciate it.  This is something my husband would love.  Communal has partnered with Clifford Family Farms, a local farm that sells organic eggs from humanely raised chickens.  I like knowing where these eggs came from.

(Post edit:  Forgot to add in the omelet and home fries.)



I loved the omelet with fresh herbs and creme fraiche.  It was nothing short of fabulous.  The home fries with the onions...you need to go try it.

Housemade bacon and sausage.  

Colton Soelberg, the man behind our delicious breakfast.

I overheard Colton telling another blogger that they get pork bellies from Niman Ranch and then smoke them in their own smoker.  Wow.  I'm impressed.  After my brief stint with veganism (more later on that), I care even more about where the meat comes from and how the animals are raised.  A+ on that for Communal.

Last, but certainly not least, was the steak and eggs.  I had a tiny bite of the steak and it was achingly tender.  The sauce was bright.  Such a great dish and worth the splurge of calories.

As we finished eating, Colton spoke to us about the mission of the Heirloom Restaurant Group.  Every time I listen to Colton or Joe talk about their mission as restauranteurs, I am inspired.  I can't help but want to be a part of it.  It's something I believe in with my whole  heart--eating good, local, organic, and sustainable real food.

Colton said, "When you leave Communal, we want you to feel like you've just gotten a hug...a hug from someone you like."  We all chuckled.  But that is always how I feel after I eat there.  I can taste the care and love that goes into the preparation of the food from the farm to the table.

Bottom line:  If you want to go somewhere special, somewhere where homey meets sophisticated, somewhere reminiscent of a restaurant in Europe or a big city, then this is the place to go.  The elements of this food remind me of meals I ate in Norway.  I'd even love to see Communal add a smorgasbord type option to their breakfast menu somewhere down the line.  (We'd be first in line for that.)  The idea of serving homestyle food isn't a new one, but Communal takes it to the next level and makes it worth leaving your house to get.

Communal

102 N.  University Ave.

Provo, UT  84601

801.373.8000

Open for breakfast starting tomorrow, November 30, 2010.

Tuesday-Friday:  7:30 am -10:30 am

Saturday Brunch:  8:00 am-1:00 pm

Facebook

Twitter @heirloomgroup

Heirloom Restaurant Group Blog

________________________________________________________________

Giveaway rules:

1.  One comment per person.  (Get everyone in your family to enter!)

2.  Anonymous comments (without a name and/or e-mail) will be disqualified.

3.  Giveaway ends at 10:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Monday, December 6, 2010.

4.  Winner will be picked at random and notified on this post--this very one you just read--on Tuesday, December 7.

{Disclosure: My meal was on the house and I was given a $25 gift certificate. My opinions are my own.}

Coming soon...

I'm ready to come back.

I am coming back.

It's true.

Stay tuned and whet your appetites.