My Mother’s Orange Raisin Cake | Dinner with Daryeal

In episode 2 we’re starting with everyone’s favorite part of the meal – dessert! Resident Mary Ellen share’s what remains to this day the family’s favorite homemade dessert.
Orange Raisin Cake Thumbnail

For episode 2, we’re starting with everyone’s favorite part of the meal – dessert! Resident Mary Ellen Spencer share’s what remains to this day the Spencer family’s favorite homemade dessert which has been passed down for generations.

Watch Chef Daryeal prepare My Mother’s Orange Raisin Cake – with a little help from Duncan Hines. This incredibly moist and flavorful cake is so easy to bake you may want to surprise your own family and serve it with your next dinner. Based on his reaction at first bite, we think Chef Daryeal will be treating his own family to this resident favorite too!

I started making this cake with my mother when I was 12. We always used Duncan Hines yellow cake mix and it comes out perfect! Just make sure to use an extra egg to compensate for the addition of orange.

Using shortcuts like in this recipe, a boxed cake mix, is a great time saver. Most days, the “Head Chef” of the family doesn’t have time to bake a cake from scratch, which requires more time and a few more ingredients.

You can use boxed mixes as a launching pad and give it your own creative twist just like Mary Ellen’s mother did. And you can still proudly tell everyone it’s homemade!

Want to try it for yourself? Follow along with Daryeal or check out the full recipe below!

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Carrot cake

My Mother’s Orange Raisin Cake

  • Total Time: 55-65 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cake 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box (15.25oz) Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 large oranges, juice and zest
  • ½ cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

Optional Garnish

Toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Zest and pit the oranges. Put the zest and oranges in a food processor. Add the raisins and pulse until they are tiny, and the mixture is a smooth consistency.
  3. In a separate, small bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest. Set the frosting aside.
  4. In a large mixer, following the boxed cake instructions, combine the dry cake mix, melted butter, 3 eggs, and ½ cup of water. Whisk until well combined. Add the orange and raisin mixture until well incorporated.
  5. Lightly grease a 9” pan and pour the cake mixture in. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from the middle. Place on a wire rack to cool.
  6. Once cool, plate the cake and frost with the cream cheese frosting. Garnish with chopped walnuts and serve.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

About CCL Hospitality Group

CCL Hospitality Group is a nationwide leader in culinary and support services with four distinct operational companies – Morrison Living, Unidine, Coreworks, and The Hub. We provide modern world-class hospitality infrastructure, talent, and innovation. We are shaping the industry’s future leaders with a culture of service focused on elevated hospitality offerings for community living across the country. Learn more here.

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