Christmas Orange Raisin Cake

## Book Reference

Christmas Caramel Murder

Preheat oven to 325°F, rack in the middle position.

### Hannah's 1st Note

*Michelle modified this recipe and Norman loves it. He wants me to make it for him every Christmas.*

### The Fruit

#### Ingredients

* 2 cups golden raisins (you can also use regular raisins, but Normal prefers golden raisins)
* 2 cups boiling water
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 cup triple sec or Grand Marnier (substitute orange juice if you don't want to use alcohol)
	+ *Mother, who's always frugal and absolutely doesn't have to be, says to tell you that triple sec is a lot cheaper than Grand Marnier.*
* 1/2 cup orange juice

#### Directions

* Place the raisins in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the golden raisins, add the baking soda (it foams up a bit)' and then add the liqueur and orange juice.
* Set the raisins and liquid aside on the kitchen counter to cool.
* While the raisins are cooling, place the following ingredients together in another large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer:

### Cake Batter

#### Ingredients

* 1 cup softened salted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)
* 2 cups white (granulated) sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 Tablespoon orange zest (That's finely grated orange peel, but just the orange part, not the white under it.)
* 3 cups all-purpose flour (don't sift--pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

#### Directions

* Turn the mixer to MEDIUM speed and mix thoroughly, or beat thoroughly by hand.
* Take a raisin out of your first bowl to see if it's plumped. If it's round and looks as if it's absorbed liquid, add the raisins AND the liquid to the mixing bowl.
* Mix your cake batter thoroughly on MEDIUM speed or by hand until everything has been thoroughly incorporated.
* Butter and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan. You can also spray the inside of the cake pan with Pam for baking (the kind of Pam with flour on it)
	+ **Hannah's 2nd Note:** *This cake rises about an inch and a half, so make sure the sides of your cake pan are tall enough.*
* Pour the cake batter into the pan. Then sprinkle the following on the top, in this order, BEFORE baking:

### Cake Topping

#### Ingredients

* 12 ounces milk chocolate chips (2 cups)
* 1 cup white (granulated) sugar
* 1 cup chopped pecans (you can use any nuts you like--Norman prefers walnuts--I prefer pecans)

#### Directions

* Bake your cake at 325°F for 80 minutes, or until you test it and it's done.

### Testing Your Cake for Doneness

#### Directions

* Use a long toothpick or a cake tester to tell if your cake is done. If you insert it one inch from the center of the cake, it should come out clean without batter sticking to it. If it doesn't, bake your cake an additional 5-minute increments until your tester comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven.
	+ **Hannah's 3rd Note** *If you happen to stick the toothpick in and hit a chocolate chip, it'll come out covered with melted chocolate--just wipe it off and stick it again to test the actual batter.*
* Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack or a cold stove burner. It can be served slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

### Hannah's 4th Note

*If you want to be fancy, cut the cake into pieces, put it on dessert plates, and top each piece with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Then garnish the whipped cream with chocolate shavings or chocolate curls scraped from a milk chocolate candy bar. Alternatively, if you don't want to use chocolate, you can top each slice with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and put a red maraschino cherry on top.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.