Chocolate orange cake recipe

This week, my inspiration came from my first effort at making orange curd. It spurred me on to another first – a chocolate orange cake.

I made a basic chocolate sponge, added some juice and zest from an orange, filled it with the orange curd and topped it with a soft icing, made from butter, icing sugar, cocoa, fresh orange juice and zest.

This was quite runny, but I kept it in the fridge overnight so it set a bit before spreading on the cake. The icing is optional; you could finish the cake with a dusting of icing sugar.

The result was delicious: a moist sponge with a soft, oozing, filling and a silky-smooth icing. The smell was knock-out too: like opening a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Recipe

Serves 12

225g (8 oz) butter or marg
225g (8oz) caster sugar
4 medium-sized eggs, lightly beaten
200g (7 oz) self raising flour
30g (1 oz) cocoa
about 1 level teaspoon baking powder
juice and zest of one large orange.

1. Grease and flour (or line) two cake tins and heat oven to 180C/350F/G4.

2. Cream butter and sugar until combined.

3. Fold in half the eggs.

4. Sieve in half the flour and fold again.

5. Fold in remaining eggs.

6. Sieve in the remaining flour, cocoa and baking powder.

7. Mix until thoroughly combined.

8. Add orange juice and zest and mix again.

9. Split mixture over two tins.

10. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until firm to touch on top, or when skewer inserted comes out clean.

Orange curd

2 medium oranges, zest and juice
1 medium lemon, zest and juice
225g (8oz) caster sugar
110g (4oz) butter, unsalted
3 egg yolks, beaten.

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and place over a simmering pan of hot water.

2. Heat gently, stirring for about 20 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

3. Strain (if you want, I didn’t bother) place in a sterilised pot, or container with a cover.

4. Store in a cool place. Will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for up to six months.