Camille’s Golden Cointreau Cake


The Heritage of Southern Cooking
by Camille Glenn, 1986, Workman Publishing Co., Inc.

“This is the cake I created when as a young woman I catered debutante parties
and weddings in Louisville. It has never been published before. This cake holds
a secret all to itself – it is a magical formula that will fool you. The list of ingredients at first glance seems not unlike most good sponge cakes, but there
is a difference. The texture is unusually moist, tender, and diaphanous. This delicacy in contrast to the elusive, rich frosting sets the cake apart. It is a gala occasion cake. In fact, if the occasion is not gala, the cake will make it so.
You’ll see.”

Serves 12 to 14

8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Cointreau
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Cointreau Frosting or
Classic Buttercream with Cointreau

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Separate the eggs. Put the yolks in one large mixing bowl and the
whites in another large mixing bowl.
3. Beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until they have thickened
and are smooth. Beat in the sugar slowly, then continue beating
until the mixture turns a lighter shade of yellow and is smooth.
Add the orange juice and blend thoroughly.
4. Measure the flour, then sift it twice. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the
egg yolk mixture and gently fold it in by hand with a whisk or rubber
spatula, or with the electric mixer on a very low speed. Fold in the
Cointreau and vanilla.
5. Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until they begin to turn white
and foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat until the
egg whites hold a stiff peak but are not dry and grainy, about 4
minutes more.
6. Fold a few spoonfuls of the egg whites into batter to lighten it. Then
add the remaining egg whites to the batter, gently folding them in.
7. Spoon the batter into a 10 x 4 1/2-inch ungreased angel food cake
pan (a tube pan with a removable bottom). The pan should be no
more than three-quarters full. Place the cake pan on the middle
shelf of the oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center
of the cake springs back at once when lightly touched, about
1 1/4 hours.
8. Remove the cake from the oven, turn it upside down on the tube pan
legs, and allow it to rest overnight before frosting.
9. Loosen the cake with a thin sharp knife, and unmold it. Put the cake
on a plate or on a flat surface covered with wax paper or foil. Spread
the frosting over the cake.

♦ This cake keeps for weeks in the wintertime, and freezes beautifully
any time. Even the frosting does amazingly well in the freezer, and
the frozen slices are quite good served as is with coffee.

Cointreau Frosting

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
cut into pieces
2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk [can be omitted if you are
concerned about egg safety]
6 to 8 tablespoons Cointreau, or more as needed

1. Put the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the confectioners’ sugar
and salt. Beat well with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolk, then
slowly add 6 tablespoons of the Cointreau. Continue to beat the
frosting until it is smooth, thick, and pliable, 3 minutes. Add more
Cointreau if needed; it usually takes at least 8 tablespoons. This
frosting must be thick.
2. Frost the cake generously with a swirl design. Allow the frosting to
firm for 30 minutes, then lift the cake to a serving platter.

Classic Buttercream with Cointreau

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
5 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons Cointreau

1. Cream the butter until it is light and smooth. Set side.
2. Beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until they have doubled in
bulk, 3 minutes.
3. Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, salt, and water in a heavy sauce-
pan, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat until the syrup spins a
thread when it falls from a wooden spoon or until a candy thermometer
registers 235 to 236 degrees F. (If the syrup is not cooked to this point,
the buttercream will never firm up.)
4. Immediately pour the hot syrup in a steady stream into the egg yolks, beating constantly. Continue to beat until the mixture has cooled, 15 to
20 minutes.
5. Add the butter to the yolk mixture a tablespoonful at a time. If the
frosting should look curdled while you are adding the butter, place
the frosting over hot (not boiling) water and beat vigorously until it
is smooth again. Add Cointreau and mix thoroughly. If necessary,
chill the frosting until it has a good spreading consistency, 35 to
45 minutes.
6. Frost the cake generously in a beautifully swirling design, and then
keep the cake refrigerated.
 

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