Lorri's Orange Rolls

Rolls:
2 tbsp dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening (butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening)
2 ½ tsp salt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
5 to 6 cups flour
1 egg

Filling
¼ cup softened butter or margarine
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp orange juice concentrate
½ tsp orange extract or 1 tsp orange zest

Orange Glaze
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp orange juice
¼ tsp orange extract
½ tsp orange zest

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour, and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth.

Add about one more cup flour, ½ cup at a time (in your mixer if it will take it, or by hand), until it is well mixed in. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny. Gather dough in to a ball. Scrape bowl clean and grease it with shortening. Return dough to bowl and grease surface lightly. Let rise away from drafts in a warm (not hot) place until about triple in bulk.

Use last of the flour as needed on the board for rolling and shaping the dough. Don’t use it all unless you need it. Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes so it will be easier to manage if you roll it.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each half into large rectangle (about 9*13, ¼” thick). Spread each rectangle with half of the softened butter. Combine remaining ingredients and spread over buttered dough. Starting with the long side, roll up jelly-roll style. Seal edges well, then cut with a sharp knife (I like a pizza cutter) into 1” slices. Twist and stretch each slice, then place on well-greased baking sheet. Let rise away from draft until double in bulk (about 1 hour). Bake 350 about 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove rolls from pans and cool on wire rack. When rolls are cool, drizzle with Orange Glaze.

Note: The entire mixing process may be done by hand. It takes thorough beating and kneading to develop the gluten in the dough. Soft dough makes lighter, more tender rolls. Any soft dough can be managed more easily if it is refrigerated overnight before rolling and shaping. Always add flour gradually, and keep dough as soft as you can handle it.

Christina's Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake

For cake layers
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling
7 oz sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze
½ cup butter
1 cup cream
10 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F and oil cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.

Make filling: Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Meanwhile, make dulce de leche by boiling unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for about 2 hours. Just cook on med/high heat and keep them covered in water the whole time. When done, open with small hole and let a little milk escape. After it cools slightly, pour into pan with coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.

Make glaze while milk is baking: Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.

Assemble cake: Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.