Orange Cake

Orange Cake

 

Sunny Malta is famous for its oranges especially the blood red oranges.  The Maltese village of Lija is famous for its oranges, because practically every household has its own orange grove.  A yearly Orange Festival is organised by the Lija Local Council, where one can find all types of products made with oranges.

Ingredients

120g margarine

60g butter

180g sugar

225 g eggs

250g flour.  The flour should be type ‘00’.

½ teaspoon baking powder

juice of half an orange

grated zest of an orange

½ teaspoon glycerine

1 tablespoon oil

vanilla essence

margarine and flour for greasing the cake tine

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 1800C/Gas Mark 4.  You will need a 28cm cake tin well greased with margarine and dusted with flour.

 

  1. Sieve flour and baking powder and put in a bowl.

 

  1. Cream the butter and sugar well, until light and fluffy.  You can either use a food processor or else an electric hand whisk.

 

  1. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition, and the zest, orange juice, vanilla essence, oil and glycerine.  Leave some zest for decorating.

 

  1. Fold in the sieved flour.  Slowly add the orange juice, until it is incorporated.

 

  1. When all the flour has been added the mixture should just have a dropping consistency.  If necessary add some more orange juice.

 

  1. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes – or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

 

  1. Leave the cake in the tin on a wire rack to cool, before removing from tin.

 

  1. Decorate with the remaining orange zest.