Buttermilk Devil's Food Cake With Freshly Squeezed Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Cake

• vegetable shortening, for greasing the pans
• flour, for dusting the pans
• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) package pudding enhanced devil's food cake mix
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Directions

1. 1

   PREHEAT oven to 350F; Generously grease two 9 inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour, shake out the excess flour; Set aside.

2. 2

   COMBINE the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; Blend with an electric mixer until the batter is thick and smooth; Pour into prepared pans.

3. 3

   BAKE the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, approximately 35 minutes; Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 30 minutes more and then slip both cakes out of the pans into your freezer; (Frozen cakes are much easier to frost.) Now you can prepare the frosting.

4. 4

   COMBINE cream cheese and butter with your electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, stop the machine; Add the confectioners’ sugar; Continue to blend on low until the sugar is well combined; Add the orange juice and zest, Increase the speed and beat until frosting is light and fluffy; Use at once to frost cake.

5. 5

   STORE frosted cake in fridge.