Van Gough Citrus Cake©

Van Gough Citrus Cake©

   My artist nephew Colin and I are always looking for ways to inspire each other. He reminded me that March 30th is Vincent Van Gough’s birthday and  thought that I should in some way pay homage to him a birthday cake.

   What better way to pay tribute to Vincent Van Gough than to make a sunflower cake. The colors of these paintings inspired citrus flavors and so this recipe was born.

Directions
   I used a Williams Sonoma sunflower mold. It is dark in color so it must be baked at 325 degrees. It is a deep mold so it will take 55-65 minutes. You need a long cake testing stick to get to the very bottom. Since the cake bakes for so long the pan should be greased with Crisco® or it will be too dark on the outside. Lightly flour the pans too.

The Cake
10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Duncan Hines® (and only Duncan Hines®) lemon cake mix
1 box instant lemon pie pudding mix
1 1/3 cups orange juice
1 teaspoon lime juice fresh or bottled
3 lightly scrambled eggs at room temperature

powdered sugar for garnish and
lemon curd or Sweet Orange marmalade for the center
semisweet chocolate morsels for the center 

Cream butter. Add cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, lime juice and eggs and blend. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spoon into prepared pan. 

Bake thoroughly testing for doneness frequently near the end or suggested baking time. Remove from oven and cool 25 minutes. Invert onto plate and garnish when fully cool.

Happy Birthday Vincent!