Make, Bake & Celebrate! by Rigg Annie

Author:Rigg, Annie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
Published: 2013-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

I love using fancy-shaped cake pans; it’s an easy way to elevate a simple cake to the realms of something quite special. This is one of my favourite cakes – it keeps really well, can be made in advance and is sure to please adults and children alike. I have decorated it simply with wafer flowers, available at sugarcraft suppliers or online (see page 128), but I love to use fresh orange blossoms when they are in season and crystallize them (see page 78). Which lovely mum wouldn’t love to be made this beautiful cake on Mother’s Day?

orange blossom & almond cake

225 g/15 tablespoons butter, soft, plus extra to grease

150 g/1 cup plus 3 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra to dust

200 g/2 cups ground almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt

275 g/1⅓ cups (caster) sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

grated zest of 2 oranges and juice of 1 juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons orange blossom water

wafer flowers, to decorate

(see page 128)

orange glaze

finely grated zest and juice from 1 orange

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)

125 g/1 cup icing/confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons apricot jam

2-litre/quart tube, bundt or kugelhopf pan

serves 8

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.

Melt a little of the extra butter and brush it inside the cake pan, making sure that the pan is thoroughly and evenly coated. Dust the pan with flour and tip out any excess.

Sift together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until really pale and light – at least 3–4 minutes. Gradually add the beaten eggs to the creamed butter in 4 or 5 additions, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the bowl from time to time with a rubber spatula.

Add the orange zest and juice, lemon juice and orange blossom water. Tip the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl and beat for another 30–40 seconds to thoroughly combine. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan, spread level and bake just below the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 40–45 minutes until golden brown, well risen and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the oven on.

Let cool in the pan for no more than 2 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes.

To make the orange glaze, bring the orange zest and juice and Grand Marnier, if using, to the boil in a small saucepan, then simmer for 1 minute to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat, add the icing/confectioners’ sugar and stir to dissolve. Let cool and thicken slightly.

Gently heat the apricot jam to make it a little runnier, then strain it to get rid of any lumps.

Brush the jam over the still-warm cake, covering it completely, and let set for 5 minutes. Now brush some of the glaze over the cake, leave for 5 minutes, then brush again with the remaining glaze. Leave for another 5 minutes, then slide the cake onto a baking sheet and put back in the oven.

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