Date Cake With Orange Blossom Syrup Martha Stewart Living Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Stir flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, yogurt, oil, orange zest and juice, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. Pour into pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
• Place zest strips in a bowl. Stir in segments and remaining tablespoon sugar. Garnish cake with some segments; serve with the rest. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE CAKE: Mix 1/2 cup of the flour with dates, coconut, and nuts. Set aside. Cream together butter and sugar, add eggs, grated orange peel, flour (1 cup at a time), vanilla, buttermilk, baking soda and salt. Blend with mixer just until blended well.Stir in flour mixture with the dates, coconut and nuts. Pour into non-stick tube cake pan.
• 2. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. When cake comes out of oven poke holes in cake so the icing/filling can run into cake.
• 3. FOR THE FILLING/ICING Mix powdered sugar, orange juice and grated orange peel until blended. Spread over hot cake

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch stainless steel bowl (4 1/2 to 6 inches deep). Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside. Into a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and vanilla seeds on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in four parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large, wide bowl; set aside.
• With a clean bowl and whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining tablespoon sugar, and continue to beat until medium-stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Whisk a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture to lighten, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold in remaining whites until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bowl, and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating bowl halfway through, until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 40 minutes. (If the cake begins to get too dark, cover loosely with aluminum foil.) Transfer bowl to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto the rack and let cool completely.
• Line a bowl slightly smaller than the cake with plastic wrap, leaving some overhang. Fit cake into bowl. Using a serrated knife, trim the bottom of the cake to make level. Invert cake onto a clean work surface or cake turntable. Using the serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into four layers of approximately the same height.
• Place the bottom (largest) layer on a cardboard round or serving plate. Brush the top liberally with Amaretto Simple Syrup. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread about 1 cup Almond Buttercream over the top, about 1/4 inch thick. Top with the next-largest layer, and brush with syrup. Spread apricot jam in an even layer over the top. Place the next-largest layer, and brush with syrup. Spread about 1/2 cup buttercream over the top. Place remaining (smallest) layer on top. Brush the surface of the entire cake with syrup. Spread about 1/2 cup buttercream over the entire cake in a thin layer. Cake can be made up to this point up to 1 day in advance; refrigerate, covered, until ready to proceed.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (such as an Ateco #5) with Almond Swiss Meringue. Pipe stars to cover the entire surface of the cake, pulling up as you pipe to form points. Using a small kitchen torch, lightly brown the meringue all over. Let cake stand at room temperature until ready to serve, up to 6 hours.
• In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and almond extract. Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Attach the bowl to the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; mix on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes. Raise speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Use immediately.
• The cake is baked in a stainless steel bowl, which gives the cake a dome shape when inverted.
• After splitting the dome into four layers, almond-flavored buttercream and apricot jam are used to flavor alternating layers.
• The filled cake is given a crumb coat of buttercream before its final layer of piped meringue.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan. In a saucepan, combine water and raisins. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped dates and baking soda. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour, salt and date mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven, and set oven to Broil.
• Make Topping: In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in brown sugar, cream and chopped nuts. Spread mixture over warm cake and place under broiler until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully - it burns easily under the broiler. Cool before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Line bottoms with parchment or waxed paper. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla; set aside.
• Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed; add eggs, one at a time, combining well between each addition. Add orange zest; combine well. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth tops, and bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. Cool cakes 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack over a baking tray. Spoon glaze over cakes; cool completely.
• Whisk together confectioners sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the top of one cake, and serve. Wrap other cake in plastic, and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add oil, egg yolks, orange zest and juice, and 1/4 cup cold water; whisk batter until smooth.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Using a flexible spatula, gently fold half of egg-white mixture into batter. Fold in remaining egg-white mixture just until combined (do not overmix).
• Pour batter into a 10-inch footed angel food cake pan with a removable bottom; bake until a cake tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven; invert, still in pan, onto a baking sheet. Let cool completely. Run a sharp knife around edges to release cake. Serve topped with whipped cream and candied zest, if desired.