Orange and Cranberry Cake (Christmas Cake)

Preheat oven 350° F.,  Prepare angel food cake pan, line bottom with parchment or three rounds with parchment paper, oiled on both sides of paper and sides of pan. Dust pan with a mixture of 2 T of powdered sugar and 2 T of the cake mix you are using.

INGREDIENTS:

White Cake Mix

1 navel orange (you will be using the entire orange)

(Orange peel, Orange juice, Orange pulp) 

1 c. of dried cranberries (chopped)

1 c. of Walnuts (chopped) or any nuts you prefer

Powered sugar

Egg whites

Oil

Please read first.
Following the cake mix directions, blend ingredients. With additions to the cake mix add grated orange peel of the entire orange, cut the orange in half squeezing the juice from both into a bowl reserving 2 T for later use and measure the remainder adding water if necessary to equal the water amount for the cake mix – add this juice mixture to the mix. With a sharp knife, slice around and through the orange pieces releasing the pulp into small bits, add to cake mixture. Add the dried cranberries and chopped nuts. Gently blend ingredients through. Pour batter into angel food cake pan or round cake pans evenly.

Bake approximately 35 – 40 minutes checking with a toothpick in the center. This cake is very moist and dense. Reduce heat to 325°.  Continue to bake additional 15 – 20 minutes checking at 10 minute intervals. It normally takes close to an hour depending on the oven and humidity. 

Round cake pans - omit the extra baking time. Check for doneness at 30 – 35 min. and continue.

After cooling 10 minutes, just long enough to handle the cake, it is important to remove the cake from the pans before it cools completely. Turn the pans onto a platter and making a glaze with the 2 c. of powered sugar and 2 T. juice, adding water as needed. This glaze can be heated, pour over the cake while it is still warm.

Garnish with orange slice.

Serve with ice cream.

In addition making cake above I also embellished the bottom round cake layers with a row of noel cookies. This is very good!

Spring Paintings - Cards

These are my most recent watercolor paintings,  on watercolor cardstock 140 lb. paper, they are 5 x7, the designs were sketched freehand and on two of them I followed through with inking before painting which I often like to do. I'm still in the process of painting some winter scenes, but like most everyone I know, I think a nice sight of spring is due! It was so fun to paint these, I had much fun painting the chicks. The thought of catching a spring chick in my cup was simply amusing. Please do not copy the painting themselves. But if you like the ideas, have fun with them and let me know what you come up with. I would love to see yours too!