Orange Kiss-Me Cake

I am fascinated by the Pillsbury Bake-Offs. They tell a story about America, year by year, providing a bit of insight into who we were, what we ate, and how we viewed the world. In 1950, Orange Kiss-Me Cake won the Bake-Off (it was just in its second year). It was submitted by Lily Wuebel of Redwood City, who pocketed $25,000 for her winning creation, a massive payday for its time. The name probably came from the Broadway play, Kiss Me Kate, although a less likely alternative is that it was named after Kissimmee, FL, famous for its orange groves. I go with the Broadway version.

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One interesting aspect of the recipe is that it uses a whole orange in the batter, excluding the seeds. (How did they process a whole orange before the invention of the food processor? Did they use a meat grinder?) The rest of the cake batter is pretty standard, except for the raisins, pecans and walnuts, which are broken down and incorporated. The topping is a streusel with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. The original poured orange juice over the top and then sprinkled on cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts—the streusel is a better approach.

I converted this recipe entirely for the food processor to avoid using a food processor plus a mixer and it worked just fine. I am wary of cinnamon since it is overpowering, so prefer cardamom, but the choice is yours. Just for fun, I also made this recipe with kumquats, which I think provides a more interesting flavor than orange, so I have provided this as an option. I also use butter instead of shortening—the original recipe called for a 1/2 cup.