This post is sponsored by Florida Crystals® and is also my entry to the Florida Crystals® “Pure Joy Blogger Recipe Challenge”. Although I have received samples of their products, all the opinions in this post are entirely my own.

A few more days to go for Thanksgiving and I’m already excited to shop, celebrate, & enjoy! So how are your preparations coming along? Is your menu for the big dinner ready? This year I’ve decided to team up with Florida Crystals® and present you a twist to the usual classic desserts, with a 3 layered surprise. An orange cake, in a creamy orange buttercream frosting, glazed with a cranberry drip, and topped with sugared cranberries! It’s an absolute delight of holiday flavors; moist, tangy, fruity and tarty…!

The base orange cake has Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar as one of its main ingredients, which makes a great substitute to regular granulated sugar. Its fine golden crystals with a delicious hint of molasses, make it ideal for all baking recipes. The orange cake alone without the frosting is itself a delight to savor.

For the buttercream frosting I have used Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar, which is perfect for frostings, icings, sugar cookies and no-bake cheesecakes. I’ve also used both of Florida Crystals® sugars in the cranberry drip, which is the highlight of this recipe. The tarty glaze complements all the other flavors and keeps you asking for more with each bite.

The sugar-coated cranberries are an optional element, but it surely adds to the beauty of the cake with a winter outlook. This cake is perfect for any occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving or Christmas Holidays.

Florida Crystals® are the only certified organic raw cane sugar grown and harvested in the US. You can check out their products online and order through your retail shops by visiting their Products page here.

You can also order through Amazon here.

Follow Florida Crystals for more recipe ideas and other updates on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest.

Happy Baking & Happy Thanksgiving…!

Interested in more Cake recipes? Check out my Cakes & Desserts Archives here.

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

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Orange Cake with Cranberry Drip

Layers of Moist Orange Deliciousness with a Creamy Buttercream Frosting, Balanced in a Cranberry Glaze … The Holiday Cake of your Dreams …!!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apricot cake, cranberry, orange cake, thanksgiving

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the orange cake

• 1¾ cup flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup softened unsalted butter
• 1½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup orange juice
• Zest of one large orange

For the orange buttercream filling and crumb coat

• 1½ cup softened unsalted butter
• 1½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar sifted
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp orange juice

For the cranberry drip

• 1 cup cranberry
• ½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar sifted + more

For the sugar coated cranberries

• 1 cup cranberries
• 2 tbsp + ¼ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Decoration

• Orange swirls
• Freshly sliced oranges
• Sugar coated cranberries

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, beat until combined.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by adding vanilla extract and zest of one orange.
• Add the dry ingredients in 2 sets alternating with milk and beat until they combine well.
• Add orange juice and give the batter a one last beat on low or until mixed well. The cake batter will be slightly dense.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 mins.
• Unmold the cakes carefully to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.

For the filling and crumb coat

• Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and 1 tbsp orange juice, beat until it turns out smooth.
• Add 1 tsp or more orange juice as needed for desired consistency. Make sure your frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
• If the frosting seems loose, refrigerate it for some time to thicken.
• For the sugar coated cranberries
• In a saucepan, combine 2 tbsp sugar with water and cook on a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add the cranberries into the saucepan and stir to coat them well in the sugar syrup.
• Transfer the cranberries onto a wire rack and allow them to cool for 30- 45 minutes.
• In a small bowl, take the remaining ¼ cup sugar and roll the cooled sticky cranberries in it until they are sugar coated properly. You can also do this in batches to carefully coat each one of them.

Assembling the cake

• Level the top surface of all the cakes by shaving off the uneven portions.
• Place your cake base on a turntable / cake stand.
• Apply a little frosting on the center of the cake base and spread. This helps the cake to stay tight and not slide off.
• Place the bottom cake on the center on the cake base.
• Apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake in the center and level it leaving ½ inch gap from the edges of the cake.
• Place the middle layer cake on top and press gently so that the excess frosting oozes out of the sides, if any.
• Repeat step 5.
• Place the third/final cake upside down on top of the frosting, so that the flat bottom of the cake faces upwards. Gently press and apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the third cake. Using a spatula, level the top and the oozed out frosting around the sides of the cake to form a thin and evenly covered crumb coating.
• Refrigerate 30 minutes for the crumb coating and filling to set properly.
• Now apply the final coat of frosting on top and around the cake, starting from the bottom to the top. Scrape down the excess frosting using a scraper. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes before pouring the cranberry drip.

For the cranberry drip

• In a medium saucepan, cook cranberries with cane sugar, lemon juice and water.
• Cook until the cranberries pop open, and then lightly mash them so that it turns into a thick sauce. Switch off the flame, strain the sauce and keep aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the powdered sugar and mix the strained sauce 1 tbsp at a time and whisk well. Repeat until it forms a thick pourable glaze. If the glaze turns out thick, add the leftover sauce if any or water to thin it out. And if thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze.
• Pour the glaze over the cake and allow it to fall through the edges to create that drip effect.
• Decorate the cake with sugar coated cranberries, orange swirls, orange slices if desired.

Notes

1. If your cake feels dry or crumbly after baking, brush some simple sugar syrup over the cake to retain it moistness and texture.
2. Grease your pan properly to avoid any cracks or holes in your cake. This helps the cake to slide through the sides of the pan easily.
3. Pick the cake with the prettiest bottom for your topmost layer. Use the ones with cracks or holes for the middle or bottom layers.
4. Decorate the cake after placing on a turntable.
5. Use a strong/sturdy scraper to scrape down the excess frosting from the sides of the cake.
6. Refrigerate the crumb coated and fully frosted stages of cake to set properly. You can even bake the cake in advance and frost the next day to manage time.

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