ORANGE MERINGUE CAKE - Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Orange Curd Filling and Toasted Meringue Frosting

Hello dear readers, presenting to you a Meringue cake I have been longing to make since last year. Well - finally here it is :) It's a 3 tier orange poppy seed cake drenched with orange syrup. The filling is a lip smacking orange curd bursting with a lovely orange flavor. The cake is frosted with Meringue and toasted with a kitchen torch. I was absolutely thrilled to inaugurate my kitchen torch which made me feel like a true baker.

ORANGE POPPY SEED CAKE
Recipe by Heather, adapted from here
Yields an 8-inch triple layer cake or a double 9-inch layer cake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups - Sugar
3 - Eggs
1/2 cup - Vegetable oil
1 cup - Sour cream (full fat)
1 1/3 cups - Buttermilk
1 teaspoon - Vanilla extract
2 tablespoon - Orange zest
3 tablespoons - Poppy seeds
3 1/2 cups - Cake flour
1/4 teaspoon - Salt
3 teaspoons - Baking powder

Directions

• Prepare pans by greasing and lining them with parchment paper.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Whisk sugar, eggs, and oil. To this mixture, add sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, orange zest, and poppy seeds and mix well
• Sift the flour, salt and baking powder.
• On low speed, add the flour 1 cup at a time and beat until all the ingredients are incorporated well.
• Divide the batter into the three 8" prepared pans. Wrap each cake pan with a "bake even strip" or a wet towel strip.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed in their centers.
• Let the cakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completel

ORANGE CURD
Recipe by Elise Bauer, adapted from here

Ingredients
1/8 cup - Fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons -  Gelatin (unflavored)
3/4 cups - Sugar
1/2 cup - Orange juice
4 large - Egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons - Orange zest
1 teaspoons - Lemon zest
6 tablespoon or 3/4 stick - Butter (unsalted ,cut into 1/2-inch cubes)

Directions for Orange Curd

• In a bowl, add lemon juice and gelatin. Let sit for 15 minutes.
• In a thick-bottomed saucepan, add sugar, orange juice, egg yolks, orange zest and lemon zest and whisk.
• Add the butter and whisk over medium heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles start to appear at the edge of the pan, about 9 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and add in the gelatin mixture. Whisk the mixture until the gelatin dissolves. 
• Sieve the curd to discard any lumps.
• Store the curd mixture in a bowl and place a parchment paper directly over the surface of the curd.
• Refrigerate overnight or at least for 5 hours.

ORANGE SYRUP
1/4 Cup - Fresh Orange Juice
2 Teaspoon - Sugar

Directions for orange syrup

• In a bowl mix orange juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.

MERINGUE FROSTING
Recipe by Tessa Huff, adapted from here

Ingredients
3 - Large egg whites
3/4 cup - Sugar
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon - Vanilla extract
Kitchen Torch (for toasting)

Directions for Meringue Frosting

• * Work with egg whites at room temperature.
• In a dry and clean stainless steel bowl, place the whites and sugar. 
• Fill a saucepan with water and place it over medium heat.  Now place the bowl with egg whites on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler.  
• Whisk the egg white mixture just until the sugar dissolves. The mixture should be warm to touch. Make sure you dont overcook your egg white. This will ruin your meringue.
• Beat the egg whites on high until medium-stiff glossy peaks appear.  Add in the salt and vanilla and whisk until combined.  *Use immediately!

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE 

• Place the first cake on the cake board or serving platter.
• Brush the cake with orange syrup
• Pour the orange curd in the middle of the cake and spread it with a spatula.
• Place the second cake and brush it with the orange syrup and spread the orange curd on it.
• Now place the last cake on top and add the orange syrup and orange curd.
• Frost the whole cake with meringue. It does not have to look perfect. 
• Fire up the kitchen torch and hold the torch about 5 - 6 inches away from the meringue and toast the meringue.