Last year, General Mills Foodservice announced that Dennis Chan, chef and owner of Blue Bamboo in Jacksonville, Florida, was the Grand Prize Winner in the 4th Annual Neighborhood to Nation™ Recipe Contest, which celebrates independent family or “neighborhood” restaurants and food trucks and the one-of-a-kind dishes that reflect their local flavor.

Batter
9 ounces orange juice
1 pound, 12 ounces Gold Medal™ Yellow Cake Mix
15 ounces mandarin oranges, canned,undrained
2 tablespoons orange extract

Orange sauce
1 pound, 2 ounces orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons cornstarch

Puff pastry layers
Pillsbury’s Best™ Puff Pastry Dough Sheet
½ teaspoon salt, kosher

Almond lace cookies
2 ounces butter, unsalted
2.5 ounces brown sugar, firmly packed
3.5 ounces corn syrup
1 ounce Gold Medal™ All-Purpose Flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt, kosher
2 ounces slivered almonds, ground

Frosting
1 pound butter, unsalted, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
1 pound 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces crushed pineapple, canned, drained
2 tablespoons orange extract

Garnish
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Batter
Add orange juice and cake mix to bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on medium speed 2 minutes. Add mandarin oranges and orange extract; mix on low speed 30 seconds. Stop mixer, scrape bowl and paddle; mix on low speed an additional 1½ minutes. Deposit batter in two greased, parchment-lined 8-inch round cake pans. Bake in convection oven 300°F for 33-38 minutes.

Orange Sauce
Stir orange juice, sugar and cornstarch together in 2-quart saucepan; cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, stir frequently. Remove from heat and cool completely; refrigerate until assembly.

Puff Pastry Layer
Thaw frozen puff pastry dough sheet, covered, either at room temperature 15-30 minutes until flexible or refrigerated overnight. Roll out to 18x13-inch rectangle; cut two 8-inch diameter circles from opposite corners of sheet. Cut two half-moon shaped circles from remaining dough; transfer pieces to parchment-lined full sheet pan. Dock each piece and sprinkle with salt; cover with additional paper and place another full sheet pan on top to weigh down puff pastry dough. Bake in convection oven 350°F for 22-26 minutes.

Almond Lace Cookies
Add butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to 2-quart saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in flour, vanilla, salt and almonds until well combined. Line two, full sheet pans with silpat or parchment paper and place 10, #70 scoops of dough on each. Bake in convection oven 350°F for 4-6 minutes.

Frosting
Add butter and powdered sugar to mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment; mix on low speed to combine. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Divide cream cheese into about 2 oz portions; add a few portions at a time to mixer bowl until combined. Beat until fluffy. Add pineapple and orange extract; mix until well blended.

Assembly
Cut the cake rounds in half, horizontally; spread 1/4 cup Orange Sauce on the cut side of each. Place one cake layer on cake plate, cut side up; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with a full circle of the Puff Pastry Layer; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Place another cake layer on top, cut side down; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with the other full circle of the Puff Pastry Layer; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with the third cake layer, cut side up; frost with 1/2 cup frosting.Arrange the two half-moon Puff Pastry Layer pieces on top; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with last cake layer, cut side down. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.