Getting your Vitamin C!

Well so far, I have escaped the wicked colds everyone has had lately. We eat lots of oranges in the winter. But there are more fun ways to get that "C" fix! Serve it up in a cake! It is wicked cold here and there is nothing better than thinking of warm summer days, biting into a nice succulent peach or popping some fresh cherries. And luckily for me, a local grocer has fresh strawberries for $1.97 a quart! WOW!

I came across a cake I made last year from Cooking Light (June 2008). While it calls for "summer fruit", you can use frozen fruit in this and it is equally delicious. Rather than serving it chilled, I added a bit of water to the frozen fruit and the rest of the ingredients and warmed it to serve over the cake with fresh whipped cream. Luscious! This cake serves 16 so it is nice for a crowd.

Orange-Buttermilk Cake with Summer Fruit

Ingredients
Fruit:
1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup sliced peaches
1 cup sliced nectarines
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
Cake:
Cooking spray
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided (about 13 1/2 ounces)
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare fruit, combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently. Cover and chill.
3. To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup tube pan with cooking spray, and dust with 2 tablespoons flour.
4. Lightly spoon remaining 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place 1 3/4 cups sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine buttermilk and 1/4 cup juice. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 43 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Serve with fruit mixture.