Autumn is upon us and it’s the perfect time to get cosy and share tea and cake with friends. Our new community cookery leader Cat shares one of her favourite recipes to impress guests at your next get-together, it’s a doddle to make but looks mighty impressive.
Wet ingredients:
- 200g caster sugar
- 120ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 80g natural yoghurt
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 30ml orange juice
Dry ingredients:
- 190g plain flour, sieved
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
For the syrup:
- 80ml orange juice
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 sprigs rosemary
For decorating:
- 4 orange segments
- 150ml double cream
- 2 tbsp yoghurt
- 1 tsp honey
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C and lightly grease your cake tin of choice.
- Combine the dry ingredients, including the rosemary, in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and beat together.
- Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients while whisking to form a wet batter.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for 40–50 minutes until the cake is well risen and a skewer comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup by combining the orange juice, granulated sugar and two small sprigs of rosemary in a pan. First, melt the sugar and then turn up the heat and boil for a few minutes until the syrup has thickened slightly. Remove the rosemary sprigs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and while in the tin use a skewer to make holes all over the cake. Pour the syrup over the cake to let it seep into the holes.
- While the cake is cooling prepare the icing. Whip the cream and then combine with the honey and yoghurt, whipping again with a whisk until the mixture is stiff.
- Using a piping bag, or a knife, place blobs of icing along the top of the cake and top with the orange segments.
