for 1 cake d=18 cm
Preparation time - 14 hours 40 minutes
Active time - 1 hour
Сalories - 373 calories per 100 g
When you just look at this dessert, you subconsciously start to smile. It looks like the pure essence of the holiday. And its flavor uplifts: bright orange zesty sponges, soaked in the citrusy warmth of Cointreau liqueur and enwrapped with a velvety smoothness of Cointreau cream cheese coating.
This exquisite cake will undoubtedly become the radiant centerpiece of any dinner party.
During the preparation, you will learn:
We begin our preparation by making the orange sponges. They have an airy and fine crumb texture due to heated, then whipped eggs. Warming the eggs ensures easier beating and enhances the stability of the whipped mixture. For easier mixing, heat the olive oil, butter, and orange zest as well. Also, warming the fats with zest opens up all the potential of the fragrance and taste of the orange zest, which results in a flavorful sponge. Olive oil in the sponge adds a subtle Mediterranean hint, which pairs perfectly with a Cointreau soaking.
The next step is the making of the Cointreau cream cheese frosting. The Cointreau liqueur adds a delicate bittersweet tinge to the basic creamy frosting and binds it with the sponges into a strong orange composition.
Once assembled, the cake should rest and stabilize in the fridge. No rush; just let it sit in the fridge for 12 hours, so the layers of the sponge and frosting are joined well. So be sure to prepare this dessert ahead of time for your special moment.
Lastly, we move to the decoration, which uplifts the cake to the one that brings us smiles! Off-white creamy swirls, brightly contrasted with the orange slices, and a sprinkle of zest on top give true eye pleasure.
Now it is time to bake this appealing Cointreau cake!
Orange sponge
| Total weight: 1300 g | 100% |
| 260 g of sugar | 20% |
| 26 g of inverted sugar/honey | 2% |
| 6 g of sea salt | <1% |
| 132 g of egg yolks | 10% |
| 330 g of whole eggs | 25% |
| 10 g of orange zes | 1% |
| 330 g of all-purpose flour | 25% |
| 5 g of baking powder | 1% |
| 100 g of olive oil | 8% |
| 100 g of butter 82% | 8% |
| 1 g of orange water-soluble colorant | <1% |
- Combine whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, inverted sugar, colorant, and sea salt in a metal bowl using a whisk. Place the bowl over a water bath and heat the mixture to 50 °C / 122 °F. Transfer the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip it with a whisk attachment on high speed into a light and fluffy foam.
- Heat the olive oil and butter to 40 °C / 104 °F, combine with orange zest, and gradually add to the whipped egg mixture, constantly mixing with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl, mix sifted flour and baking powder. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the batter mixture with a spatula.
- Cover the bottom of 3 rings d=18 cm with aluminum foil. Divide the sponge batter into three equal portions and pour it into the rings, smooth the surface using an offset spatula.
- Bake the sponges for 30–40 minutes in the oven, preheated to 170 °C / 338 °F. Check the doneness of the sponge by pressing it with your hand: if the sponge bounces back into shape, then it is completely baked.
- Cool down the sponges at room temperature and cut off the top and bottom crust to get 3 sponge layers 3 cm high. Then use a ring d=16 cm to trim the edges of the sponge layers.
Cointreau cream cheese frosting
| Total weight: 1630 g | 100% |
| 400 g of butter 82% | 24% |
| 1040 g of cream cheese 65% | 64% |
| 140 g of icing sugar | 9% |
| 50 g of Cointreau liqueur | 3% |
- Place the butter (16–18 °C / 61–65 °F) in a stand mixer bowl and whip it with a whisk attachment at medium speed — this should take around 1–2 minutes. Add the icing sugar and continue whipping, gradually increasing the speed to maximum, until the mixture becomes light and voluminous.
- Switch to a paddle attachment, reduce speed to medium, and gradually add cream cheese (16–18 °C / 61–65 °F) in small portions. In order to keep the finished cream stable, avoid overwhipping.
- Add the liqueur and mix until homogeneous.
- Use immediately.
Assembly
- Baked orange sponge layers
- Cointreau cream cheese frosting
- 150 g of Cointreau liqueur
- Soak the sponge layers well with the Сointreau liqueur using a pastry brush.
- Transfer frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round tip 10 mm in diameter.
- Place a cake board measuring 20 cm in diameter on a turntable. Pipe a drop of frosting in the center and place the first sponge layer on top.
- Apply 150 g of the frosting to the sponge, moving in a spiral from the center to the edge. Smooth out the cream layer with an offset spatula.
- Place the second sponge layer on top and press lightly. Pipe another 150 g of cream and smooth it with an offset spatula. Cover it with a third sponge.
- Apply a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting all over the cake using an offset spatula to create a crumb coat.
- Place an acetate film around the cake and secure it with an adjustable ring, gently tighten it. Refrigerate for 12 hours to stabilize.
Coating and decorating the cake
- Stabilized assembled cake
- Leftover Cointreau cream cheese frosting
- Sufficient quantity of orange zest
- 6 orange slices
- Remove the ring and the acetate film from the cake. Place the cake on a turntable and apply frosting to it. Spread it over the surface by rotating the turntable and using a straight spatula. Then smooth out the sides of the cake by rotating the turntable and using an icing scraper. Level the edges with an offset spatula.
- Transfer the leftover frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip d=12 mm. Pipe the decoration on top of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with orange zest and arrange orange slices in between the creamy swirls.
- Store the cake in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
