The other day I was prepping for a shoot, and needed to find Key Limes. I finally found a store that had them and ran in to grab them and intended to just run back out, but in the corner of my eye I saw this beautiful orange color with leaves. Satsuma Oranges!
Satsumas are a type of mandarine orange, related to tangerines and clementines. They are very flavorful and full of juice, and super easy to peel.
If you food style often, whenever you can find fruits with the leaves still on, you’ve scored!
It makes them feel organic and fresh and adds so much texture to a photo.
I stopped and loaded up all the nicest Satsumas they had, and threw in some extra leaves, just for good measure.
I got them home and carefully put them on the counter, but couldn’t give them any attention because of the shoot I was working on.
A couple of days later, the shoot was over and I immediately starting thinking about a recipe.
So many ideas, but I went with a cake…another cake! There’s just something so majestic about a three or four layer cake. Plus, it’s an opportunity to be creative. How will I decorate it?
Hmmm, what flavor would go well with that orange-tangerine flavor? Ginger, yes, ginger! Okay, this is getting good.
It needs a filling, more Satsuma flavor, a Satsuma curd!
I quickly came up with a recipe and started baking.
It worked surprisingly well, the first time. Yes!
I frosted the cake and put it in the refrigerator to keep overnight until I could shoot it the next day, as it was late by this time.
I got up the next morning excited to take pictures of my beautiful cake….and, the Satsumas were DEAD! They looked terrible. The leaves were dried and crunchy. I thought, “I can make this work!”…ummm, no I can’t.
Ugh, I just spent half a day making this cake and I don’t have the most important part, the inspiration for this whole endeavor.
“Should I run out and buy more? No, they’re just going to have the same old ones that you already have… Just go! What do you have to lose?”
I ran into the store and….the produce guy had just brought out a new box and was restocking them. I got the pick of the crop. They were in even better shape than the previous ones. Yay!
The shoot was a success, just as this cake is. The cake is dense with a mid orange-ginger flavor, but then you get a burst of orange from the Satsuma curd, and again with the buttercream.
You won’t regret making it, I promise!
I also included the ingredients weighed in grams, I know so many of you bake that way.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 10-12 | 30 mins |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 40 mins | 2 hours |
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Satsumas are a type of mandarine orange, related to tangerines and clementines. They are very flavorful and full of juice, and super easy to peel. I knew I needed to come up with a recipe for them. Ginger adds a great additional flavor to the citrus in this dense cake.
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- 2 C butter 450 g- at room temperature
- 3 C granulated sugar 640 g
- 6 large eggs
- 1 C sour cream 260 g
- 1 C freshly squeezed satsuma juice 260 g
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 g
- 4 C cake flour 530 g
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder 12 g
- 1 teaspoon salt 12 g
- 1 Tablesoons ground ginger 5.5 g
- crystalized ginger to garnish
- 3/4 C fresh satsuma juice 200 g
- Zest of one satsuma
- 3/4 C granulated sugar 170 g
- 1 stick butter cubed 112 g
- 6 egg yolks
- 3 sticks butter 337 g -at room temperature
- 6-7 C powdered sugar 660-770 g
- juice of 3 satsumas plus extra milk for thinning.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for convection) This recipe makes either a 4 layer cake using 8" pans, or a 3 layer cake using 9" pans. Spray pans generously with baking spray. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar until fluffy. Its important that the butter is at room temperature. Add eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream and vanilla and combine. Slowly add the satsuma juice and mix well.
- Sift all dry ingredients together and add one cup at a time to the wet mixture and mix until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. In 8" pans, bake 30-35 mins. 9" pans 35-40 mins, or when toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- In a 2 quart saucepan, combine satsuma juice, zest and sugar. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and whisk into the juice and sugar. Cube the butter and add to the pan. Cook over medium heat until thickens, about 6 minutes. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
- Using the stand mixer, with whisk attachment, cream butter, slowly add powdered sugar one cup at a time, intermittently add satsuma juice. If still too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you're happy with the consistency.
- Put some of the frosting in a piping bag and cut 1/2" hole in the tip. Place first cake layer on plate or cake stand. Run a band of frosting around the edge of the cake and fill the center with the satsuma curd. Repeat this with each layer, except the top layer. Apply a crumb coat to the whole cake, then put the cake in the freezer for 20 mins to set the crumb coat. Frost the cake the way you like it, then run a ring of crystalized ginger around the top edge for garnish. Chill cake in the refrigerator until you're ready to cut it.
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