Honey cake with citrus frosting

Cake
Flour, all-purpose	1 ¾ cups
Cinnamon, ground	1 ¾ teaspoons
Baking powder	½ teaspoon
Baking soda	½ teaspoon
Cloves, ground	¼ teaspoon
Allspice, ground	¼ teaspoon
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Ginger, ground	1/8 teaspoon
Oil, vegetable	¼ cup
Oil, almond	¼ cup
Honey	½ cup
Eggs, room temperature	2
Sugar, granulated	½ cup
Sugar, dark brown	½ cup packed
Tea, strong black, hot brewed	½ cup + 2 tablespoons
Orange juice	2 tablespoons
Vanilla paste	½ teaspoon
Frosting
Sugar, granulated	½ cup + ½ cup
Flour, all-purpose	¼ cup + 1 tablespoon
Milk, whole	1 cup
Butter, unsalted, softened	1 cup
Orange zest, finely grated	1 teaspoon
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon
Salt, kosher	¼ teaspoon
Candied
Water	1 ½ cups
Sugar, granulated	½ cup
Orange, navel, thinly sliced	1

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F; grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper, and wrap the outer bottom with aluminum foil, then set on a rimmed baking sheet. 
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, allspice, salt, and ginger. 
3. In another bowl, whisk together the oil and honey. 
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the eggs with both sugars at medium-high speed until thick and nearly doubled in volume, about 4 minutes. 
5. Gradually beat in the oil-honey mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. 
6. In a small bowl, combine the tea, juice, and paste. 
7. At low speed, in three alternating additions, add the dry ingredients and the tea mixture, until just combined. 
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 
9. Bake for 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
10. Transfer the cake to a rack, and let cook for 1 hour. 
11. Run a knife around the edge of the cake, and remove the springform ring. 
12. Invert the cake, and remove the springform bottom; discard the parchment paper. 
13. Let the cake cool completely, about 45 minutes, then transfer to a cake plate. 

Frosting

1. In a small saucepan, whisk ½-cup sugar with the flour, then whisk in the milk. 
2. Bring to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes. 
3. Scrape into a heatproof bowl, and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface; let cool 1 hour. 
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with ½-cup sugar and orange zest at medium speed until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. 
5. Beat in the cool milk-flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beat well after each addition. 
6. Beat in the vanilla and salt, and continue beating until smooth, about 2 minutes. 
7. Spread a thin layer of frosting al over the cake, and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. 
8. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. 
9. Refrigerate until the frosting is just firm, about 30 minutes. 

Candied

1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. 
2. Add the orange slices, and simmer for 30 minutes. 
3. Transfer the slices to a rack to cool. 
4. Top the cake with the slices before serving. 

Recipe moderately adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, March 2017

Triple-layer sour cream chocolate cake

Cake
Flour, cake	3 cups +
Chocolate, unsweetened, finely chopped	9 ounces
Tea*, strong black, freshly brewed	2 cups
Vanilla extract	1 tablespoon
Eggs, room temperature	4 large
Oil, canola	1 cup
Sour cream, room temperature	1 cup
Sugar, granulated	3 cups
Baking soda	1 ½ teaspoons
Cinnamon, ground	1 teaspoon
Salt, fine sea	1 teaspoon
Ganache
Cream, heavy	1 ½ cups
Butter, unsalted, cut into 1-inch pieces	1 ½ cups
Sugar	½ cup
Salt, fine sea	½ teaspoon
Chocolate, semisweet, finely chopped	1 ½ pounds
Tea, strong black, freshly brewed	1/3 cup
Vanilla extract	1 ½ teaspoons
Cranberries
Cranberries, fresh	1 cup
Water	½ cup
Sugar, granulated	½ cup +

Cake

1. Preheat to 375°F, and position the racks in the center and lower thirds. 
2. Butter three 9-by-2-inch round cake pans, and line with parchment paper. 
3. Butter the paper, and dust the pans with flour; tap out excess flour. 
4. In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate with the tea and vanilla; let stand for 2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is melted. 
5. In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil until pale yellow, then whisk in the sour cream. 
6. Gradually whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. 
7. In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour with the sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. 
8. At medium speed, beat in the wet ingredients in three batches until just incorporated. 
9. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat until the batter is smooth. 
10. Pour the batter evenly into the pans; gently tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles. 
11. Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; shift the pans halfway through baking. 
12. Let the cakes cool completely, then carefully invert onto a rack, and peel off the parchment paper. 

Ganache

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, butter, sugar, and salt just to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. 
2. Remove from heat, and add the chocolate; let stand for 2 minutes, then stir smooth. 
3. Stir in the tea and vanilla. 
4. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally. 
5. Transfer one cake to a cake stand. 
6. Spoon one-fourth of the ganache on top and spread in an even layer. 
7. Top with another cake and one-fourth of the ganache. 
8. Cover with the third cake, and spread the remaining ganache over the top and side of the cake. 

Cranberries

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar, and bring to a boil; cover and set aside to cool completely. 
2. Toss the cranberries in the simple syrup, drain, and then chill for about 15 minutes. 
3. Roll the cranberries in the some sugar to coat, spread out on a plate, and then chill for an hour before serving. 

* For my brisk brew, I used 6 tablespoons of PGTips with 1200ml water.

Recipe adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, December 2015