Orange cake is great birthday cake, beautiful and tasty table decoration. Chocolate sponge with crunchy pavlova, the most delicious orange jam you can imagine, and white cream frosting with a hint of rum. Beautiful rustic cake.
Whip egg with 2 yolks and sugar until stiff peaks.
1 egg, 2 egg yolks, 130 g sugar
Add butter and fresh orange and lime juice. Combine together.
80 g butter, 200 ml fresh orange and lime juice
Cook on the double boiler on low temperature for 1-1,5 hours until thick. Stir occasionally. Add coloring in the end, if needed.
3 drops orange food coloring
Remove from the stove and let it cool.
While your orange cream is cooking, prepare the chocolate sponge.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 355 F. Prepare two spring form pans, smear with butter or layer the bottom with baking paper.
Whip egg yolks with 1/3 sugar until pale fluffy mixture. Slowly add soft butter, continue whipping the mixture until combined.
4 eggs, 125 g butter, 100 g sugar
Add all dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, cornflour, baking powder and soda), combine with a spatula or spoon.
100 g flour, 25 g cornflour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch baking soda, 5 tbsp cocoa powder
Slowly add orange juice, milk and yogurt, combine together. You will get thick creamy mixture.
4 tbsp fresh orange juice, 150 g yogurt, 150 g milk
Distribute the mixture to 2 spring form pans.
Prepare the pavlova layer
Whip egg whites in a separate clean bowl, then add sugar (all the leftover) an continue whipping until white and doubled. Add 1 tbsp yogurt and whip together few minutes more.
4 eggs, 200 g sugar, 1 tbsp yogurt
Distribute the egg white mixture to 2 spring form pans. Smooth the top.
Bake 1 hour until sponges are ready (you can check with wooden skewer) and pavlova is cracked and browned.
Remove from oven and let the chocolate sponge cool for about 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan.
Make sure you have same size sponges. Put cooled sponges with pavlova on top of the other and trim the edges if needed.
Prepare the white cream / frosting
Whip heavy whipping cream with icing sugar and cream cheese until stiff peaks.
500 g whipping cream, 100 g icing sugar, 400 g cream cheese
Layer the cake.
Put the first sponge cake and smear it with orange cream then white cream and put the second one on top. Smear the the top and edges with white cream.
Let it cool in the fridge for about 2-3 hours or overnight.
Decoration
Decorate with cut orange pieces, mint leaves and pomegranate seeds
1 slice orange, 1 tsp pomegranate seeds, 5 mint leaves