Orange Cake

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Prepare your pans.

In a mixer, cream together the butter and oil. Gradually add the sugar, creaming until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions and scraping down the sides. If desired, mix in a few drops of orange food color.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition.

Run the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps. Stir in the zest.

Pour equal amounts of the batter into the prepared cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter before putting them in the oven to remove any air bubbles and to even the batter.

Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Cool the cake layers in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the layers from the pans and put them on a rack to continue cooling. Cool completely before frosting.