Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Bakin' a cake and travelin'


Early this morning I baked a cake. The top photo is fresh out of the oven.and after it cooled with frosting on it.
I needed a dessert for our Goat Meeting at 1:oo p.m. today. I'd made this cake before and thought it would be a good one for the meeting. I'm not sure why it's called an Italian Cream Cake. The only La Crema I remember from my Italian heritage was a layered cake that was put together with pound cake and chocolate, citron and lemon custard, so this is not what I remember being called a Cream Cake. But sometimes I think folks like to make up new names for recipes because they have changed some of the ingredients.

So, because I don't think it's a Cream Cake and because I added an ingredient..., I will rename this cake ~Orange Pecan & Coconut Cake-mix Cake~. I like this cake, it's very easy to fix and it always turns out well.

I follow the recipe exactly for the cake itself, only I add the zest of one orange to the batter. ( saving about 1/2 teasp. for the frosting.)

I'm not big on frosting so I don't usually cover a cake with a thick layer of it. I didn't use the frosting that is here (above) for this cake. I'm sure it's good, especially if you like a lot of coconut, but I prefer the following:
I melted a little butter (probably two teaspoons), added about two tablespoons of orange juice, the 1/2 teasp. of orange zest, and maybe two teaspoons of dry Marsala wine or any kind of sweet after dinner wine that you like. You don't need to use any sweet wine at all but I think it gives the frosting a great flavor. Mixed it with some powdered sugar until it is runny enough to drip all over the top of the cooled cake. That's it. This cake is so good that I have just served it sprinkled with powdered sugar. It's a very moist cake.

We had a great time at the meeting. We drove down to a town in the valley, about an hour away from here, to the home of a lady named Jane. She and her husband raise Alpine goats and a few other critters. We enjoyed a potluck lunch and had a productive meeting. The Prospector and I are kind of new to this group and most of the other members raise, show or have milk producing goats and they are very knowledgeable about anything that has to do with goats. We will learn a lot. I have volunteered to train as a ring steward for the next Cal-AM Goat Show in May. I'm not even sure what this means yet, but I know I will learn a lot about goat breeds and get to watch the judging. Should be very interesting.
Tomorrow's post will have some very interesting photos that I took out behind Jane's house. One will be a "Guess what this is" photo.
See you tomorrow.
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6 comments:

  1. The cake looks and sounds delicious! I will have to give it a try. I don't remember ever having it - my grandmother was Sicilian and we grew up with cannolis and other Italian cookies, but I know this cake must be really good!

    The goat "club" sounds really interesting and fun and I'm sure you will be able to learn a lot. It's so nice to have a group where everyone can share their experience/knowledge.

    Have a great rest of the weekend!

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  2. One more thing we have in common. My mother and dad both were from northern Italy. They came to America as young children. My mother was a very good cook but I do not remember her baking an Italian cream cake. Your recipe sounds so good and easy thanks for sharing it with us. Have a great day. Madeline

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  3. That cake looks so good! Not sure why it's called Italian Cream cake either. I love Italian Cream cake. But this, and the changes you made to it, sounds like one I might need to try....today.

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  4. Your cake looks delicious! I'll bet the frosting smells good, with the zest!
    My father's parents came from southern Italy so I agree - it's not the Cream Cake that I know. But I'd love to make it when my brother comes to visit!
    Please let us know about the Goat "Club". I've been interested in them, too.

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  5. Yummy sounding recipe I will try it next time I need to make a cake, I love orange in baked goods so I zest my oranges before I eat them so I always have zest in the freezer. Have you tried the Willaimsburg Orange cake, OMG not as easy as this one but decadent!
    Still coughing........
    hugs

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