Orange Sheet Cake

I recently made sheet cake for my friends' baby shower.  The co-host made a delicious Texas sheet cake, and I made an orange sheet cake.  And we all ate a slice of each, because --you know-- sheet cake is pretty flat, only like half the thickness of a regular slice of cake.  So a slice of each is really only like having a whole slice of "regular" cake--right?

 I made this orange sheet cake with orange cream cheese Icing from Wilton, but made a few changes.

First, I left out the orange extract, because it's totally not necessary.  That is a typical standard American diet kind of ingredient.  There is fresh orange zest in the cake and frosting, as well as orange juice in the frosting.  That is plenty "orangey" enough.  If you add the extract I'll bet you wouldn't be able to make it through a whole slice because the flavor would become overbearing.  Subtlety is a virtue that a lot of food lacks these days.

Also, the recipe said to bake it in a 9x13 pan.  Obviously that would make a 9x13 cake, not a sheet cake.  Wilton is just trying to advertise one of their pans, but it's a completely wrong opportunity to do so.  I baked this recipe in a half sheet baking sheet.  That's the normal thick jelly roll-type pans that everyone got for wedding gifts from Cosco members. (That's not a dis, I love and use all three I got weekly, and particularly love the two with lids.)

Finally, the recipe for the delicious orange cream cheese frosting makes at least twice as much as you need for a sheet cake.  I can't imagine spreading that much frosting on the smaller 9x13 size cake they suggested baking--it would be half frosting. 

So here are the recipes, with my suggested changes:

Orange Sheet Cake Recipe:

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 tablespoons orange zest 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 stick) butter, softened 
• 1-3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 3 eggs 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
•  1-1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease sheet pan.


In medium bowl, combine flour, orange zest, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; when combined, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla extract. Add half of flour mixture; beat on low speed until nearly combined. Add buttermilk to moisten; add in remaining flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake 25-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan completely before icing.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

•  1/4cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 1/2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice 
• 1 tablespoon orange zest 
•  2 to 2 1/2  cups confectioners' sugar

In large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, juice and zest with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar one cup at a time, beating until icing is light and fluffy.

Spring Carrot Cupcakes

It's not Owen's birthday, nor is it his half birthday (they both occur during school breaks) but today we took in cupcakes for Owen's "April Fool's--Not really my birthday--Day". We had a lot of discussion back and forth about what might be a good idea to take in for his special snack, and what was not.  Another idea he had that I was totally on board with was pancakes and syrup--I would totally have let him take in homemade pancakes for his birthday snack.

In the end though, he went with one of my suggestions-- carrot cake cupcakes.  It is technically for the whole class' "morning snack", so I feel good about the veggie content of these treats.  I also thought they would be fun and celebrating spring, since we really didn't need "birthday cupcakes" since it is not actually Owen's birthday. 

The cupcakes are yummy and have frosting made from real butter and cream cheese, and as I piped the little carrots on top for decoration I thought, "Yep, that is quite enough artificial food coloring for one treat."  And as was noted in the comments of my other blog, yes--this non-birthday cupcake makes me a Birthday Scrooge.

So if you are interested in being a birthday scrooge--or if you just want to enjoy a seasonal homemade treat, here is my recipe for Spring Carrot Cupcakes, adapted from Lion House Desserts:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 8oz can crushed pineapple (in juice), pressed dry in a strainer
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400*.  Prepare 12 muffin cups with grease or papers.  Combine sugar and oil in a medium mixing bowl.  Add eggs, mix well.  Add grated carrots and pineapple.  Set aside.  In a large bowl sift together flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon.  Make a well,.  Add wet mixture, and mix to combine.  Spoon into muffin cups, and bake for 20 minutes of until they test done.

When cool frost with cream cheese frosting:  1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened; 1/4 cup butter, softened; 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar.  Cream together in a mixer bowl.  If needed add a teaspoon of hot water at a time to get to spreading consistency.  (I didn't need water--I have a hot kitchen.)

Red Appetizers

Looking for some easy appetizers for your New Years' Eve celebration?  The Raspberry-Chipotle Dip is a new favorite, and the recipe for the glazed mini sausages is an old classic from my mom. 




Raspberry-Chipotle Dip
From my friend Wendy

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, at room temp
1 8oz container sour cream
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bottle roasted raspberry chipotle sauce

If needed soften cream cheese in microwave. Mix cream Cheese with sour cream, shredded cheese and black beans. Spread in baking dish. Pour raspberry chipotle sauce over the top. (Our store caries "Bronco Bob's" found by the BBQ sauces.) Bake at 350*until bubbly.

Serve with crackers.


Cocktail Wieners
From my Mom

1 package "Little Smokies" Sausages
Chili Sauce
Grape Jelly

In a small saucepan combine equal amounts of chili sauce and grape jelly. For one package of Little Smokies I usually do 2 Tbls each. Whisk smooth and heat over medium-low heat. Add sausages and heat until warmed through.

Serve with toothpicks for skewering.

Pumpkin Dip and Halloween Boo-fay

Here was my spread for the Book Club I hosted this month! I love fall food, and treats! The punch was a 2-liter of Sprite, a pint of raspberry sherbet, and half a bag of frozen raspberries--standard, but delicious!

I served delicious pumpkin bars. There are many good recipes for pumpkin bars, I'm sure you have your favorite. I used the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook recipe. And of course, the best thing about it is the cream cheese frosting! Yum....

This great pumpkin dip is from Taste of Home a few years back. In a large mixing bowl beat one 8-oz package of cream cheese with 2 cups powdered Sugar. Add one 15oz can of pureed pumpkin, 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tsp vanilla. It is delicious with apple and pear slices.



This witches cauldron in the fire pit is my favorite aesthetically speaking. Pretzel rods and three colors of delicious sweet peppers make up the fire. The dip is a sour cream onion dip. I bought mine pre-made (there's only so many hours in the day). I looked for a little cauldron bowl for the dip to go in, but alas, I had to settle for a dark bowl, I still think the effect is really nice.
Happy Halloween Treating!