When it comes to visual presentation few things impress as much as a beautiful fruit tart. This is a great alternative to a traditional pumpkin pie. It's beautiful and easy to make.
Zucca e Aranci Torta
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (not sweetened or spiced)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp all spice
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- oil for the pan
- flour for the pan
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tsp orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 cup Maraschino cherries
Directions
- Place the sugar and butter in a large bowl and cream together until light and fluffy*.
- Add the pumpkin and mix well.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, continue to beat until well blended.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, and walnuts.
- Alternating the milk and flour-spice mixture add to the pumpkin and mix well between additions.
- Oil and flour a tort pan or a cake sheet pan.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
- Remove the cake from the pan, placing it on a flat surface such as a serving dish or cake tray. Allow the cake to completely cool.
- In a bowl mix the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.
- Arrange the orange slices in a ring around outer edge of the cake, building toward the center. (If using a tort pan this will be inside the indentation.) Place the Maraschino cherries in the center of the cake.
- Drizzle the orange-sugar glaze over the cake and fruit.
- Cover and store the cake in the refrigerator.
*--Creaming is the first step in many baking recipes. It is the act of mixing together butter and sugar, either by hand or with a mixer. I use a mixer at low speed and building to medium speed to obtain the maximum air bubbles. Creaming creates a lighter textured cake. While this is a dense cake, the creaming process keeps it from being leaden.
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