So, first let it be said that for some reason, I am a glutton for punishment. When I have to take a food item somewhere, I never seem to pull from my "tried and true" recipe arsenal. I always dig up something that I'm sure will be wonderful, but I don't really know because I haven't ever made it yet. Or I choose something that never seems to work quite right, because I'm pretty sure that this time it's going to work. Why, oh why, do I always seem to put that unnecessary pressure on myself??? See above-"glutton for punishment".
Let it also be said that if a cake will fall or get stuck in a bundt pan, it will happen to me and during one of those "glutton for punishment" times when I'm really needing that stupid cake to come out because I'm on a schedule. I have learned one thing through the years that may surprise some of you. Don't make a bundt cake unless the Man of the House, aka my husband, is around to flour the pan. For some reason, he has the touch and if he flours that pan, the cake will come out perfectly EVERY time. He is quite, ummm, well, let's just say he gloats about it and not quietly, I might add! Unfortunately, the Man of the House isn't usually too thrilled to be called away from his horse and cattle to flour a pan for me!
With all that being said, I decided to make a Clarence Orr Cake to take to a church supper one day. What a perfect cake to take, I thought, since that is where it got its name. My mom made this cake and took it to a church function and Clarence Orr, now long passed, loved it and that's been its name ever since. And I must admit, it is a wonderful cake.
So off I went to the kitchen and had my two round cakes cooled and ready to split and layer with the aromatically dreamlike filling. Those cakes just didn't seem to want to stay on top of each other. I worked and worked at it until I thought that they might stay, even though the Man of the House and his father were both pretty sure they were going to get to eat it because it was going to fall apart. With the job done, I took off to ready myself and the kids for church. As I rounded the corner back into the kitchen, what do you suppose I see but my father-in-law's finger PUSHING OVER THE TOP LAYER OF MY CAKE!!!!!! I cannot even begin to tell you the words that wanted to come out of my mouth-well, let's just say they weren't worthy of the church I was getting ready to attend!
Keep in mind here that I wasn't sure that the cake was going to stay upright on its own anyway. Well, my father-in-law swears to this day that he was just helping my cake to its eventual fall anyway. What do you do? I'll tell you what we did. We went to the silverware drawer and we all dug in-why waste a good cake?! And I'm not really sure what I took to church in place of my cake!
Clarence Orr Cake via my Mommy
Prepare a white or yellow cake. (1/2 TSP of almond flavoring and 1/2 TSP of lemon flavoring added to white or yellow cakes make for a good flavor.) Bake in 2 round layer pans. (Grease and flour and cover bottom with waxed paper for ease in removing cake from pan.) When cool split layers and fill with Lemon Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 TBSP corn starch
1/4 TSP salt
3/4 cup water
1 TBSP butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
Mix sugar, corn, starch, and salt. Add water and bring to a boil in microwave. Boil 1 minute. Remove and add butter and lemon juice. Cool before filling cake.
Frosting for Clarence Orr Cake:
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 TBSP flour
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 TSP vanilla or almond flavoring
2-3 cups powdered sugar
Melt butter. Blend in flour and salt. Stir in milk. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Beat until thick enough to spread. Spread over cake. Can top cake with coconut if desired.
Nowadays when I plan to make this cake, I ask where the Man of the House and his father will be first just to make sure I won't have any "help"-like I need any help ruining a layer cake!!!
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