Sharply sweet citrus flavours perk up seasonal dishes, such as this sumptuous cake, which makes the perfect winter dessert
How to make orange cake
Ingredients
Serves 8
3 oranges
1 tbsp orange blossom water
olive oil, for greasing
5 eggs, separated
250g caster sugar
250g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cold water
20cm round cake tin
baking paper
Method
Place 2 of the oranges, unpeeled and whole, in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Simmer, with a lid on, for 1½ hrs, then drain. Once cooled, halve the oranges and remove and discard any pips. Place the oranges in a liquidiser, blend until a puree, then set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and grease and line the cake tin with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar, using an electric whisk, for 2-3 mins until very smooth and creamy, and doubled in volume. Stir in the ground almonds, orange puree and baking powder.
In a clean mixing bowl, and with a clean whisk, whisk the egg whites for 3-4 mins until stiff. Gently fold them into the almond mixture until completely incorporated. Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and bake for 55 mins-1 hr until an inserted metal skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.
Remove the cake from the tin and discard the baking paper, then place the cake on a serving plate. Peel the remaining orange with a knife, leaving the whole orange intact, then slice it horizontally very thinly. Cover the top of the cake with the orange slices. In a small pot, combine the icing sugar with the orange blossom water and cold water, to make a runny icing. Drizzle the icing over the cake, then allow to set, and serve.
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Liz O’Keefe is a professional chef, trained journalist, and the home economist at LandScape magazine. She has written several cookbooks, including the Gourmand award-winning The Mushroom Cookbook. A respected voice in the UK food scene, she regularly judges prestigious food awards and is a member of The Guild of Food Writers. Follow her on Instagram @ecjokeefe