Orange Kiss-Me Cake

Ingredients

• For the candied orange peel:
• 3 navel oranges, scrubbed
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons dark corn syrup
• For the cake:
• Baking spray
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 medium-sized navel orange, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. For the candied orange peel, cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp paring knife, cut the ends from the oranges, then mark the peel lengthwise into quarters. Pull off the peels, scrape away extra pith with a gentle sawing motion, and cut each section lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips.
2. Put the orange strips in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them. Set the pan over medium-high heat, bring it to a boil, and let it cook for 1 minute. Drain the strips, then do the same blanching process 2 more times. After the 3rd draining, move the orange strips to a small bowl and hold them aside.
3. In the empty saucepan, mix 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the orange peels, then lower the heat to medium-low.
4. Cook the orange strips at a gentle simmer until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon or spider, spread them on one prepared baking sheet, and let them cool all the way, about 30 minutes.
5. Put the chocolate and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Microwave until melted and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, pausing every 20 seconds to stir. Dip half of the cooled orange strips, one by one, about halfway into the melted chocolate, then lay them in a single layer on the second prepared baking sheet. Freeze until firm, 5 to 10 minutes. Set them aside.
6. Coat the remaining orange strips with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then set them aside.
7. For the cake, place an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with baking spray.
8. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and raisins until they are roughly chopped. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
9. Add the orange pieces to the now-empty food processor and process them into a pulp. Stir the orange pulp into the walnut-raisin mixture.
10. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together, then set it aside.
11. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.
12. Turn the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the orange, nut, and raisin mixture, then beat only until it is incorporated, about 20 seconds.
13. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester poked into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
14. Set a cooling rack over parchment paper and transfer the cake to it. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack. Flip it so the domed side faces up, and let it cool completely, about 1 hour.
15. For the glaze, while the cake cools, combine the orange juice, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until it thickens and cooks down to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes.
16. Brush the warm glaze over the top and sides of the cake, then let the cake continue cooling.
17. Arrange the chocolate-dipped and sugar-coated candied orange strips over the cooled cake, then serve.