Citrus Crunch Crumb Cake

First I will tell you how to do it the easy way. For some reason I seldom go that route but trust me, it is almost as good as making the cake and icing from scratch.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. I like putting wax paper on the bottom to help remove the cakes once done. Sometimes the crunch layer wants to stay in the pan. Tapping the bottoms of the cake pans helps dislodge them.

CRUNCH LAYER – Combine:

• 1/2 cup walnuts very well chopped
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs. I like using the new honey wheat or something similar. Can’t remember the exact name but you’ll find them. Doesn’t really matter.

Press half into each prepared pan and set aside.

FOR THE CAKES – Mix in a large bowl:

• 1 package Pillsbury Plus Yellow Cake Mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons of finely grated orange peel
• A handful (1/2 cup) coconut

Blend these ingredients until moist and then beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour batter over the prepared crunch in the pans.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes on the middle rack. An inserted toothpick should come out clean when poked in the middle of the cake.

Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans onto wire racks for complete cooling.

FROSTING – Mix in a small bowl:

• 2 cans of prepared Cream Cheese icing or Fluffy White or Vanilla (your choice)
• 1 stick of very soft butter
• 6 tablespoons of grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons of grated lemon peel
• Handful of coconut (1/2 cup)
• Sifted Powdered Sugar as needed

Beat until this is fluffy and well blended. You will probably need to add sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, to get a nice thick spreading consistency.

Then spread frosting on the crunch-side of one layer. Add the other layer with crunch-side up and icing it as well. Then complete by icing around edge of cake. Sometimes I will put three toothpicks through the layers to hold them upright – especially when traveling.

GARNISHES:

• Small can of Mandarin oranges (optional)
• Mint Leaves (also optional)

Freezes very well.

ANOTHER OPTION:
CAKE: Instead of using a cake mix, find a nice pound cake recipe and just add the grated orange and lemon and coconut. Also substitute some of the liquid it calls for with the 1/2 cup of orange juice.

FROSTING: I just don’t like the harmful ingredients in the canned icing so I make a plain cream cheese icing and add the orange peel, coconut and lemon to it. Here’s an example:

Beat until creamy:

• 3/4 cups butter – very soft
• 11 oz soft cream cheese (8 oz + 3 oz)

Slowly add:

• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar (may need to add more later to get a nice spreading consistency)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (no imitation stuff)

Beat until very smooth.

• Add the grated orange and lemon peel and coconut. Spread

I usually increase the amounts by 1 1/2 because I like lots of icing on my cakes. Sometimes I even double the amounts.

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