This is the season to be jolly and indulge! It is also the time to make fancy and elaborate desserts. This is a Spiced Orange Cake, spiced with all the warm spices to make it all things fuzzy and festive.
I filled the layers with mascarpone frosting and oranges poached in the indulgent Bellissima from Big Banyan. The Bellissima is a brilliant shade of yellow with hues of amber and hints of light green. It feels nothing short of liquid sunshine.
I think this Spiced Orange Cake makes for a great Christmas cake!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE-
- 2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
- 2 tea-spoons baking powder
- Zest of one orange
- 1 + 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanila extract
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
FOR THE FROSTING-
- 1/2 cup lightly beaten mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup whipped cream
FOR THE POACHED ORANGES-
- 10-15 orange segments
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup Bellissima from Big Banyan
- 1/2 cup sugar
PROCEDURE
- Lightly brush your cake pans with oil/ butter and dust with all purpose flour. Line with parchment paper. Pre-heat your over to 180C.
- In a medium bowl, combine all purpose flour, orange zest, cinnamon and ginger powder, nutmeg and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil until the mixture becomes light and pale.
- Add eggs, one by one, mixing well after each edition. Beat in vanilla extract.
- Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, alternating with orange juice. Do not over mix.
- Evenly divide the batter into 2 pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre comes out clean
- For the frosting, fold in the mascarpone cheese in the whipped cream
- To poach the oranges, combine the wine, sugar and orange juice in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add oranges and cook until the syrup becomes thick.
- To assemble the cake, frost the layers with mascarpone frosting and pour the poached oranges with the syrup on it.
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