Williamsburg Orange Wine Cake
Taken from the historic papers, journals, and household books of
Virginia's first settlers, versions of this recipe came to light
during the development of the Colonial Williamsburg restoration. In
1938 the first recipe for the cake appeared in print in the
Williamsburg Art of Cookery Or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Combanion,
compiled by the project's archivist at many of the resoration's
dining rooms, and its fame has spreadad across the country. There
are still many variations, but all have a strong orange flavor, with
a texture flecked with nuts and currants. Traditionally, the cake is
baked in a tube pan and iced with Orange Wine Icing, though it can
also be formed in layers.
Orange Madeira Cake is a variation on this recipe, using Madeira Wine
instead of Sherry. Both are moist, moderately Sweet Cakes served in
small pieces.
The cakes keep well, wrapped in airtight at room temerature for at
least a week. Cakes can be baked ahead, wrapped airtight, and
frozen. The special equipment needed are one 9-inch tube pan or two
9-inch layer pans, nut chopper or food processor. The baking time 55
to 60 minutes at 350 degrees for tube pan: 30-35 minutes for the
layer cake pans. For quantity you will get 6 cups batter, one 9-inch
tube cake serves 10 or one 2-layer cake serves 8 to 10. To prepare
the pans spread solid shortening on bottom and sides of pan, then
dust evenly with flour; tap out excess flour.
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shelled pecans, chopped
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 teaspons orange extract
grated zest of 1 1/2 large oranges, about 5 tablespoons.
ICING:
Orange Wine Icing (see recipe below)
GARNISH:
Halved pecans or thin threads of orange zest
Prepare pan as described. Position rack in center of the oven.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Combine
nuts and currants to a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the flour
mixture. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream together butter,
margarine, and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one
at a time, beating after each addition. The batter will look
curdled; don't worry.
With the mixer on lowest speed, alternately add flour mixture and
buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with flour. Beat
sides of bowl often. Beat in sherry and orange extract. Stir in
grated orange zest and nut-currant mixture.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Place in the oven
to bake as directed, or until a cake tester inserted in the cake in
the center comes out clean, and the top is golden and lightly springy
to the touch. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then top
with another rack and invert. Lift off pan. Cool completely. Fill
and frost a layer cake with Orange Wine Icing. For a tube cake, make
the icing slightly softer than for a layer cake. Spread icing on the
cake top and allow it to run down the sides. Garnish the cake top
with halved pecans or fine threads of orange zest.
**************************************************
VARIATION
ORANGE MADEIRA CAKE
Prepare Williamsburg Orange Wine Cake with the following changes: In
the batter, replace dry sherry with Madeira Wine. For icing, make
Orange Wine Icing, but repalce dry sherry with Madeira wine.
For topping:
make a syrup of 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup
Madeira. Boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Peel 2 or 3 oranges and cut out
the sections, taking care to remove the membrane from each piece.
Poach the peeled sections in the syrup for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove
the orange sections with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Discard the syrup. Ice the cake and top it with an arrangement of
orange sections or garnish with Candied orange Peel. (recipe below).
*********************************************
ORANGE WINE ICING
Dry sherry cuts the sweetness of this icing and gives it a refreshing
and sophisticated flavor. For a nonalcoholic icing you can
substitute orange juice or cream. To make Orange Madeira Icing, use
Madeira wine instead of sherry.
This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups icing, to frost two 8- or 9-inch layers
or one 9-inch tube cake. Double the recipe to fill and frost 2 or 3
layers or a large sheet cake.
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 generous teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons dry sherry or orange liqueour or Madeira Wine.
***************************************
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL
There are three points to note when preparing citrus peel. First,
the thickness of the peel, second, the blanching technique which
removes the natural bitterness, and third, the time and temperature
for boiling the peel in syrup. Follow the recipe carefully; it
works. Note: before starting, wash whole fruit to remove any
possible chemical residue.
Candied peel will last at least a year if packed in layers of
granulated sugar in an airtight container and kept in a cool, dry
location or the refrigerator.
You will need a paring knife, cutting board, 1 1/2-quart heavy-
bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, strainer or colander, mercury candy
thermometer or instant spot thermometer, pastry brush and a glass of
cold water; tongs, soup bowl or pan with sides, wax-paper-covered
tray or cookie sheet with sides or wire rack set over the wax paper.
The recipe makes about 2 cups.
FRUIT:
about 2 cups loosely packed peel cut from 4 oranges or 6 lemons or
limes or 2 grapefruits (see step 1)
SYRUP:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon light corn syrup, or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
COATING:
1 cup granulated sugar plus extra for layering peel if it is to be
stored.
1. With a sharp paring knife, quarter the oranges or grapefruit,
then remove the quarter-segments of peel. With lemons and limes,
slice off the peel, cutting right down to the beginning of the
fruit. Cut wide strips of peel and leave on the white pith.
Ideally, orange peel should be about 1/8 inch thick, though if more
it does not matter. Do not cut off the peel with a vegetable peeler;
the zest alone is too thin to give the correct texture.
2. Put the peels into a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring
to a boil. Lower the heat and boil gently for 15 minutes. Turn off
the heat and let the peel stand in the got water for 15 minutes.
Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. The peel will be
soft. Grapefruit peel is more bittter than the others and is best
blanched in 3 changes of cold water, each brought to a boil, then
simmered for 10 minutes.
3. With a teaspoon, carefully scrape off and discard the soft
white pith inside each segment of peel. It is easily removed. Slice
the peel to the desired thickness--14 inch-thick strips are most
common.
4. Combine in the saucepan the sugar, 1/2 cup water, and corn
syrup or cream of tartar. Stir, then bring to a boil, swirling the
pan several times to dissolve the sugar. Wash down the pan sides
with a pastry brush dipped into cold water. When the syrup boils and
looks clear, add the prepared peels. The syrup should cover the
peels. Put the candy thermometer into the pan. Boil the peel gently
over moderate heat for about 30 minutes, or longer, until the syrup
reaches 230 degrees (thread stage, just before soft-ball stage) and
most but not all of the syrup has ben absorbed. With a slotted
spoon, transfer the peel to a bowl or pan of sugar. Toss the peel in
the sugar, then set the pieces on the paper-covered tray or rack to
air-dry. After drying for several hours or overnight, the peel
should be crisp outside but flexible and chewy inside. If too flabby
and soft, it was not cooked long enough at a high enough temperature;
if it is crisp enough to crack when bent, it was cooked at too high
a temperature. Srore the peel in layers of sugar in an airtight
container.
5. To use the candied peel as a Garnish, it can be diced or left in
thin strips. To make a delectable candy even more so, dip all or
half the length of each strip into melted semistweet or white
chocolate; use this to garnish the tops of cakes. Set candy-dipped
strips on wax paper and refrigerate to set the chocolate. Chocolate-
covered peel can be made well in advance and stored in a cool place.
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