Orange Spice Cake

Photo: flickr user SuziJane

Ingredients

vegetarian

1 thinskinned orange

275 grams selfraising flour

3 level teaspoons baking powder

275 grams caster sugar

225 grams soft baking margarine

4 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon mixed spice

orange filling:

2 level tablespoons orange pulp

reserved from orange

50 grams soft butter

175 grams icing sugar sieved plus a little extra for dusting

Preparation

Grease and baseline two 200mm sandwich tins with greased greaseproof paper.

Place the whole orange in a small saucepan cover with boiling water and cook in the simmering oven until soft about 1 1/2 hours.

When the orange is soft and cold cut in half and remove any pips.

Process the whole orange including the skin until medium chunky.

Reserve 2 level tablespoons of the orange pulp for the icing and put the rest back in the processor.

Add the remaining cake ingredients and blend until smooth.

Avoid overmixing.

Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.

Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf nn the second set of runners for about 20 to 25 minutes turning after 15 minutes. When the cakes are cooked they should be shrinking away from the sides of the tins and be pale golden brown.

Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the baking oven for about 20 to 25 minutes turning after 15 minutes.

When the cakes are cooked they should be shrinking away from the sides of the tins and be pale golden brown.

Leave to cool in the tins for a few moments then turn out peel off the paper and finish cooling on a wire rack.

To make the orange filling cream the soft butter then add the sieved icing sugar and reserved orange pulp.

Sandwich the cakes together with the icing and sift icing sugar over the top of the cake.

A fresh spiced orange cake. If liked you can ice the cake as well as fill it. Use just under half the orange filling to sandwich the cakes together and spread the rest on top.Thin skinned oranges are usually smaller avoid using jaffa oranges as they have a very thick pith.

Serves 8