Roasted Butter Pecan Cake with Caramel Orange Marmalade and Burnt Orange Buttercream
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 1 9-inch cake
 
ingredients:
Roasted Butter Pecan Cake
  • 1⅔ cups coarsely chopped pecan pieces
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 12 large egg whites, at room temperature
Caramel Orange Marmalade
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 cup orange marmalade
Burnt Orange Buttercream
  • ¾ cup fresh orange juice (I suggest doubling the juice, it really cooks down a lot)
  • ⅔ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • ¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Decor
  • 1 cup pecan pieces, buttered and toasted
directions:
Toast Buttered Pecans
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. coat pecan pieces in melted butter, then spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Make Cake
  1. Prepare three 9-inch round pans by greasing them, then placing a circle of parchment paper in each, greasing the parchments circles too. If you don't have parchment, just grease and lightly flour each pan.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the toasted, buttered pecans with ⅔ cup of the sugar and pulse grind until it is a coarse flour. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, an additional ⅔ cup of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
  3. Have ready a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, brown the butter over medium heat. (The butter will melt first, and then the milk solids will settle to the bottom. After a little while, the milk solids will start to turn golden.) When the milk solids have reached a nutty brown color, immediately remove from the heat.
  4. Using the fine-meshed strainer, strain the butter into the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Discard the butter solids. Stir in the vanilla.
  5. In the very clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the very clean whip attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. In a slow steady stream, with the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining ⅔ cup of the sugar and increase the speed back to high. Beat until there are firm--not dry--glossy peaks of meringue.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, briskly fold in one-third of the meringue mixture into the batter to lighten it. Add the remaining meringue and gently fold it in until just combined.
  7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Spin the pans to level the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool in the pans for 20 minutes before turning the layers out onto the rack. Cool completely before filling or frosting.
Make the Caramel Marmalade
  1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat the sugar with the water until amber in color, like clover honey. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the orange juice to stop the cooking.
  2. Add the marmalade and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
  3. The marmalade may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Make the Buttercream
  1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, reduce the orange juice until it is syrupy and just starts to caramelize (it turns brown). Watch it closely; don't let it burn! Add a splash of water to the caramel orange syrup to stop the cooking. Set aside to cool.
  2. In another small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the ⅔ cup of the sugar and water and cook to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the 3 tablespoons sugar and beat until there are medium-stiff peaks of meringue.
  4. When the sugar syrup reaches 240 degrees, decrease the speed of the mixer to medium, and immediately but slowly pour the hot liquid sugar in a steady stream down the side of the bowl and into the meringue. (Or, if the syrup is not yet 240 degrees when the meringue is ready, turn off the mixer until it is. Then turn the mixer to medium and add the syrup.) Beat together until stiff glossy peaks form.
  5. With the mixer still on medium, add the butter in pieces to the meringue. The mixture will break, but just keep beating and it will come together beautifully. Add the vanilla and reserved caramel orange syrup and mix to combine.
  6. If using the buttercream immediately, set aside at room temperature. If not, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. If the buttercream has been chilling, let it reach room temperature before beating it in the electric mixer. The buttercream will break, but then it will come together beautifully.
Assemble the Cake
  1. Split each cake layer in half, and spread one-third of the marmalade over each of the interior layers. Crumb coat the cake,then chill for 30 minutes. Remove after 30 minutes and fuly frost the cake.
  2. After frosting the cake, gently press the toasted, buttered pecans against the sides of the cake with your fingers.
  3. This cake keeps very well, in a cake saver in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The cake should come to room temperature before serving.
  4. HOW TO ASSEMBLE A LAYER CAKE
  5. Assembling a layer cake seems as though it would be pretty straight forward, but there are a few tips I use so that my results look consistent and professional.
Recipe by parsley sage sweet at https://parsleysagesweet.com/2010/05/07/macarons-for-passover-cake-for-easter-just-cake-and-macarons-and-a-cookbook-giveaway/