True Orange Genoise

Rose's Heavenly Cakes, Page 179: True Orange Genoise

Since i love anything orange and esp. the combo of chocolate and orange. I decided to bake this cake as my husband's birthday cake.  

I made the orange curd & ganache the night before.  I used Sunkist orange juice and reduced it by microwaving it as mentioned in the "Notes" (since it's impossible to find Seville oranges here in Singapore).  I have to say that i really like the orange curd! I had to refrain myself from eating the orange curd before i bake the cake!

I didn't know i had to make Beurre Noisette until last minute when i read the recipe! :P!  Heated the butter until the milk solids turn brown and pour it through a sieve. However, i realised that my sieve is not as fine as it should be since i can still see little brown dots in the butter.  Then i remembered i have this oil-filter paper which filters out every minute stuff...from the oil..

Packet of filter-papers - always a staple in my kitchen cabinet.

As you can see, after running the butter through the filter paper, the tiny tiny brown milk solids are "trapped" on the paper?  Amazing isn't it?  :)  

A tsp of vanilla added and covered with airtight lid. 

After making the beurre noisette, i forgot to take photos! So no more steps till the final cake! The Genoise sponge turned out well and as per instruction, i layered with orange curd and orange syrup.  Ta-Dah! Here's the cake..i didn't do much decoration as my husband didn't want a too elaborated cake. LOL!  So i just piped some white chocolate ganache that reads "happy birthday". 

Verdict: Everyone loved the cake. Of course my husband loved it! He said it is very good.  However, i think i brushed too much syrup since i find the cake a bit on the sweet side but still i do like it since i've always love chocolate & orange combo.  My colleague MH who has a (very) sweet tooth and an orange/chocolate lover said this is really good and she likes it a lot. She also mentioned that the cake sweetness is just right.

However, i really wished i had Seville oranges because i believe that using the Seville oranges probably does make a difference. Just like turbinado sugar vs brown sugar i think as in my earlier upside-down pineapple cake..