Sophie’s Bakes: Moroccan Orange Cake
27th February 2018
My recipe inspiration this week has come in the form of… sunshine! After having a few gorgeous days of blue sky and sun – not to mention the gradual lengthening of our evenings (yay!) – it’s come to that time of year where it seems totally fathomable to begin dreaming of warmer days, lying on a faraway beach and feeling the heat of the sun on your skin, happily drinking it in after months of deprivation.
Well, based on its beautiful colour and themed twist, this orange drizzle cake – which is no ordinary drizzle cake – is as close as you’ll get to tasting that feeling! Saturated in a sweet spiced syrup, this cake satisfies all those summer yearnings… and most importantly, your taste buds.
It’s so easy to make and can be perfectly paired with a cup of tea, or made more indulgent with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of clotted cream. It’s already become a favourite here at Cotes Mill and I can guarantee if you make it, it won’t be the last time!
Ingredients:
– 300g ground almonds
– 250g golden caster sugar
– 2 tsp baking powder
– 5 eggs
– 200ml plus 1 tbsp sunflower oil
– 2 tsp maple syrup for the cake, plus 5 tbsp for the syrup
– Grated zest & juice of 1 large orange
– Grated zest & juice of ½ a lemon
– 3 cloves
– 2 cinnamon sticks
Method:
– Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 30cm x 20cm baking tin.
– In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds, sugar and baking powder.
– In a separate large mixing bowl, place the sunflower oil, eggs, 2 teaspoons of maple syrup and both the orange and lemon zest and beat until thoroughly combined, either using a stand-up mixer or an electric hand whisk.
– Add the dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl and mix together until combined.
– Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes – after 20 minutes check to make sure the top isn’t browning too much, it’s good to get an even bronzed-to -golden-brown colour but I’d recommend laying a piece of greaseproof over the top if it still has time left in the oven which will prevent it burning.
– Once the cake is ready (you should be able to insert a skewer into the middle and it comes out clean), remove from the oven and allow to cool a little whilst you make the syrup.
– Put the orange and lemon juices, 5 tablespoons of maple syrup, cloves and cinnamon into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
– Whilst the cake is still warm drizzle the syrup over evenly, allowing it to cool in the tin and soak up the syrup.
– Remove from the tin, cut into squares and keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
