Buttery Orange Cake

An orange-flavoured, Madeira-style celebration cake that is a brilliant carrier for icing. Madeira cake used to be served with a glass of Madeira hence its name, however a tipple of Grand Marnier would be the way to go here. For her afternoon tea Outstanding Food Editor, Kathy Paterson enjoyed a slice along with a cup of Tea Thief Mr & Mrs Grey.

Makes 1 large cake to serve 12-16

Cake 

400g butter, softened

2 cups caster sugar

6 eggs

3 cups plain flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup full cream milk

finely grated zest of 2 oranges

Icing

200g butter, softened

6 cups icing sugar

½ cup full cream milk

finely grated zest of 1 orange

250g Whittaker’s Dark block chocolate

dark cocoa powder, for sprinkling (optional)

Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line with baking paper, the base and sides of 2 x 20cm round cake tins.

Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, a good pinch of salt and the baking powder together in a bowl.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift in half the flour mixture, fold in a little then pour in half of the milk, fold again. Sift in the remaining flour and milk, folding gently each time so as not to lose air in the mixture. Fold in the orange zest.

Evenly divide the cake mixture between each prepared tin and smooth the top. Put in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until springy to the touch or insert a skewer in the centre of each cake – it should come out clean.

Cool cakes for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a large wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing, beat together the butter and icing sugar until smooth, then pour in the milk and beat until just incorporated and creamy. Fold in the finely grated zest of the orange.

To decorate, split the cakes in half horizontally. Put the base of a cake on a large serving plate then layer cakes with a small amount of buttercream icing. Use the remaining icing to cover the top and sides.

Remove the skin and pith from all 3 oranges and slice very finely. I used a mandoline for this. Pat dry with kitchen paper then arrange in circles on top of the cake.

Put the block chocolate on a board, flat side uppermost. Using a large, sharp knife and beginning at the top of the block, draw the knife down toward you to give you chocolate shavings. Use a metal spatula to pick them up and sprinkle on the orange slices. Dust with dark cocoa powder, if wished.

Tips

• For the final (top) layer of the cake, put the base of the second cake uppermost – this will give a flat top to your celebration cake.

• The cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight tin. Store in a cooler part of the kitchen.

• It’s not essential to make two cakes for layering, you could half the ingredients and make one. Ice and decorate in the same way.