This is a lovely light and airy cake, very much like Madeira, but with a citrusy flavour. It looks impressive baked in a Bundt tin (ring) but don’t worry if you haven’t got one, it can be cooked in any deep cake tin, just adjust the cooking time.
Ingredients
- 320g plain flour
- 300g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 120ml vegetable oil
- 180 ml orange juice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 225 ml egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Method
- Preheat oven to 170C/150Fan/Gas3
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add sugar and salt and mix
- Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks, oil, orange juice,vanilla essence and zest. Do not beat, just leave to stand
- In a separate large bowl whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until very stiff. Leave to one side
- Now return to the flour, oil and egg yolk mixture and beat until smooth.
- Gently fold the beaten flour mixture a 1/4 at a time, into the beaten egg whites until well combined
- Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 60-70 mins, until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Invert tin until cake has cooled.
- Decorate as desired – dust with icing sugar or make up a small amount of fondant icing flavoured with orange.
Pauline Mardell