I am a big enthusiast of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible. The cakes I have made from this cookbook have been wonderful even when I’ve varied the ingredients to accommodate my non-refined sugar eating. This past week, I altered a recipe to include orange zest and orange juice since we have a multitude of oranges right now given that we own an orange grove. I took Rose’s recipe for Sour Cream Butter Cake and made my substitutions. The finished cake did not disappoint. It was moist, had great consistency and was delicious.

I am including Rose’s original recipe for those of you who would like a great sugar-sweetened cake. I’ll add my additions or substitutions in parentheses.

I made a honey-sweetened whipped cream with a tiny bit of orange juice and orange zest added for the frosting. We had it on the side so we could slather the whipped cream as we wished. It was definitely tasty and I would highly recommend this cake recipe for a lovely, orange-flavored cake and frosting that is light and not too sweet.

Daughter Rachael did the official baking and, as usual, she did a great job. She is becoming a 5-star baker of cookies and cakes all on her own. She baked the cake in a bundt pan, which made it quite pretty as well.

We made this cake on granddaughter Lyla’s birthday and had our own cake for our mini celebration and FaceTime party with baby Lyla and her family in Pasadena.

Let me know if you try the recipe. I always love to hear how the recipes I share have turned out for you.

I’ll be checking back in again tomorrow.

Sour Cream Butter Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake 35  to 45 minutes

Makes:  A 1-3/4 inch high cake

The Batter

4 large egg yokes

2/3 cup sour cream (We used 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt since we didn’t have sour cream and because we wanted an orange cake, we added 1/3 cup orange juice + 1/2 tablespoon orange zest.)

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Vanilla extract will enhance, not detract, from the orange flavor.)

2 cups bleached cake flour

I cup sugar (We used maple sugar since we don’t eat refined white sugar)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons butter (We used 8 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of coconut oil)

Equipment: A 9 inch springform pan, bottom greased, lined with parchment, then greased and floured (preferably with spray that contains flour) or a bundt pan that has been sprayed or rubbed thoroughly with vegetable oil

Preheat the Oven: 20 minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the Batter
In a medium bowl, lightly combine the yolks, about 1/4 of the sour cream, and the vanilla. (We used 1/8 cup of the yogurt + the orange juice and zest.
In a stand mixer bowl, with paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt.
Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and the remaining sour cream (or yogurt) and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Increase to medium speed, or high speed if using a hand held mixer, and beat for 1 minute to aerate and develop the structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides. (This gradual adding of the egg mixture is really important to achieve the right cake consistency.)

Bake the Cake
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and it springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula, and remove the sides of the springform. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and reinvert onto a second rack it so that the top faces up. Cool completely before frosting or wrapping airtight. (If using a bundt pan, cool for 10 minutes, then flip onto a plate.)

Finished Height: 1-3/4 inches

Store airtight  3 days room temperature;  1 week refrigerated;  3 months frozen.

For the Orange Whipped Cream:

1 cup whipped cream

1/8 cup honey

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1/2 tablespoon orange zest

Whip the cream in a chilled bowl and with chilled beaters. Stop the mixer and add in the honey, orange juice and zest after the cream is beginning to thicken. Whip on high speed until the cream is thick and forming peaks. Serve either on the cake or on the side.

Cake recipe comes from “The Cake Bible”

Copyright 2005 Rose Levy Beranbaum