Valentine Luncheon, Dessert

The dining room with table set and dessert and coffee service on the sideboard. Awaiting the arrival of my guests. I love this moment whenever I entertain -- when music is softly playing in the background, when everything is ready and perfect -- just waiting for company to come.

With dessert on the sideboard just waiting until we finish our lunch. Originally, I had planned for individual heart shaped meringues filled with whipped cream and raspberries and placed in a puddle of raspberry couli. Alas, the weather did not cooperate because Wednesday it was wet and dreary. A wet day is no day to do meringues.

So I went to Plan B -- chocolate. But not rich dark chocolate but rather white chocolate. A layer cake.

Filled with orange marmalade and with orange peel sprinkled over the top.
It made a lovely presentation on the sideboard and looked pretty on the red and gold cake plates which are from an English tea set. The little pastry forks also came from England and are my favorite forks to use whenever I serve dessert.
We couldn't finish it all, but we ladies did make a dent in the cake. Husband Jim was a happy husband when he came down mid afternoon to find that there WAS some cake left and took a huge piece back upstairs with a big glass of milk!

The recipe is one of those that I clipped long ago and put in my recipe file. It's a good cake and love the icing -- cream cheese and white chocolate -- icing doesn't get much better than that!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH ORANGE FILLING

12 oz bag white chocolate chips
Betty Crocker white cake mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 t. vanilla
3 egg whites
6 T. butter, melted
1/4 cup orange marmalade
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8 inch round pans.

Place 3/4 cup of the white chocolate chips in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on medium 1 to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring once halfway through cooking time. Stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, buttermilk, vanilla and egg whites, beat at low speed about 30 seconds to mix. Gradually beat in melted butter. Drizzle melted white chocolate into bowl, beating at medium speed 2 minutes, thoroughly scraping side and bottom of bowl once halfway through beating. Spoon batter evenly into pans. Bake until tops spring back when touched lightly in center. About 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; place on wire racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place remaining 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips in medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on medium 3 to 6 minutes or until melted, stirring once halfway through cooking time. Stir until smooth. Cool completely, about 35 minutes.

Place 1 cake on serving plate; spread with orange marmalade. Top with remaining cake layer.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed until soft and fluffy. Add cooled, melted white chocolate, beat until of soft spreading consistency. Immediately frost side and top of cake. Store in refrigerator.

NOTE: I added a teaspoon of orange extract to the frosting and topped the frosted cake with a shower of orange peel.