Orange Torte

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (don’t take the easy way out and use store-bought – it won’t be the same)
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 3 eggs, plus
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 4 egg yolks, room temperature
• 11 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (like cointreau or grand marnier)
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 8 drops almond extract
• 5 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 6 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons candied orange peel (optional)

Recipe

• 1 for orange curd: mix juices with cornstarch in saucepan until dissolved.
• 2 whisk in butter, sugar, eggs and yolk until smooth.
• 3 place over low heat and stir until mixture is thickened to consistency of thin yoghurt, 15-20 minutes.
• 4 do not let boil.
• 5 place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and cool, then refrigerate overnight; if butter begins to separate, whisk to reblend.
• 6 for cake: position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350f.
• 7 line bottom of 2, 9 inch round cake pans with parchment.
• 8 combine yolks, 3 tblsps sugar, liqueur, hot water, vanilla, orange zest, cardamon and almond extract in large bowl and beat about 8 minutes.
• 9 beat whites in a separate bowl, with clean beaters, adding a pinch of salt and another of cream of tartar, until soft peaks form.
• 10 add remaining 8 tblsps sugar, one at a time, and beat until meringue is quite stiff and glossy.
• 11 resift flours together.
• 12 gently fold ¼ of meringue mixture into yolks.
• 13 scrape yolk mixture over remaining meringue with spatula, then sift ¼ of flour over top and fold in.
• 14 repeat until all flour is folded in, being careful not to deflate mixture or allow any lumps to remain.
• 15 drizzle butter over and gently fold in using 3-4 strokes.
• 16 pour into pans.
• 17 bake until tops spring back when touched, 20-25 minutes, rotating cakes once.
• 18 cool.
• 19 to assemble: loosen cakes from pans and peel off paper.
• 20 turn right side up.
• 21 using long, serrated knife, halve cakes horizontally to make 4 layers.
• 22 arrange 1 layer, cut side up, on platter.
• 23 sprinkle with 1 tblsp liqueur; spread with 1/3 of curd.
• 24 repeat 2 more times.
• 25 top with last layer, flat side up.
• 26 press gently to align.
• 27 wrap cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• 28 whip cream with 2 tblsps icing sugar and 2 tblsps liqueur to stiff peaks.
• 29 reserve 2/3s cup cream.
• 30 spread remaining cream smoothly over top and sides of cake.
• 31 spoon reserved cream into pastry bag fitted with star tip and pipe decoratively around sides of cake.
• 32 garnish with candied orange peel, if you wish and serve at room temperature.