Persian Inspired Orange Cake
Persian Orange Cake
200g margarine
1 large orange thin skinned
3 medium eggs
330g self-raising flour
200g golden granulated, or muscovado sugar
20-40 ml orange juice
Preheat oven to 180°C/ Fan 170°C / Gas 4
Line a 20cm tin with parchment paper.
Wash orange to remove wax then dry. Quarter the orange and remove pips.
Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside.
Place orange and margarine in a food processor and pulse for 20 seconds. Clean down sides. Repeat this at least 3 more times until the orange and margarine are totally combined.
Add half the flour and the beaten eggs and combine. Add the 20 ml orange juice sugar and remaining flour. Combine together. Now you want a dropping consistency ( when you gather a spoonful of the mixture, and it falls easily off the spoon) so, if necessary, gradually add the remaining 20ml of orange juice.
Place in the prepared cake tin and bake on the middle shelf for 50/60 minutes, until a skewer/cocktail stick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes then GENTLY remove from the cake tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Cake Syrup
150ml cold water
150g golden granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of honey
Cinnamon stick
5 cardamon pods
1 star anise
½ grated nutmeg
Zest of an orange
Any left-over orange juice from the baking.
Bring the mixture up to boil. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer where it will reduce and become delicious. Keep an eye on it that it doesn’t burn. Strain the syrup through a sieve into a jug or bowl discarding the spices.
When the cake is cold prick holes all over it with a toothpick and spoon over about 4 teaspoons of the syrup on to the cake. Repeat this about 5 times over the next hour. Please make sure the cake is cold when doing this. Repeat with another spoonful or 2 a couple of hours later. You need to use about half the quantity of the syrup.
Wrap the cake in parchment paper and then tinfoil, if you use it, and place in an airtight container. the cake will keep stored for about 3 days. This cake freezes very well. Place slices or wedges of the cake between sheets of parchement paper in a freezer bag and freeze. By cutting and freezing you only need to remove a few slices at a time. Or perhaps just the one slice as a reward for getting that job completed that has been hanging over you!!!