ORANGE CAKE A real family favorite. The fabulous flavors and texture come from grinding the whole orange with raisins and nuts. Preheat oven to 350 °F | 13- by 9-inch cake pan, greased CAKE 1 large orange 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup walnuts 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs FROSTING 1/2 cup butter, softened 3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 1/3 cup orange juice

CAKE: Squeeze orange; reserve juice for frosting. Grind together or finely chop in food processor orange rind and pulp, raisins and nuts. Set aside. Combine remaining cake ingredients in large mixer bowl. Beat on low speed just until blended, then on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in orange raisin mixture. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely.

FROSTING: Beat together all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Spread over cake.

VARIATION: Use dates in place of raisins.

Makes about 12 servings.

TIP: Submerging an orange in hot water for 15 minutes before squeezing will yield almost twice the amount of juice.

Preparation time: 25 minutes | Baking time: 40 minutes| Freezing: excellent.

Robin Hood Baking Festival Cookbook