Desserts Recipes - Polish Orange Easter Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 10   

• 4 oranges

• 300g/11 oz icing sugar

• 500g/1lb 2oz plain flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 150g/5oz caster sugar

• 150g/5oz butter (plus extra for greasing)

• 2 egg yolks

• 75g/3oz sour cream

• 100g/4oz almonds (blanched and chopped)

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm/8in round cake tin and line with baking parchment.

2. Prick each orange a few times with a fork, then place the oranges in a large pan, cover them with water and bring to the boil.

3. Cook gently for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Remove and cool the oranges, then slice them and remove the pips.

4. Dissolve the icing sugar in the orange-cooking water and boil this mixture for about 10 minutes to make a syrup.

5. Poach the orange slices in the syrup for about 10 minutes, or until the zest is tender. Cool the slices in the syrup.

6. Combine the flour, baking powder and caster sugar and rub in the butter to form a crumbly mixture. Add the egg yolks and the sour cream to make a soft and workable dough.

7. Roll out the dough, put it in the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the cake is lightly colored.

8. Turn the cake out of the tin and place it on a baking tray. Arrange a layer of poached orange slices over the top, draining them of their excess syrup.

9. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Put the cake back in the oven for a few minutes to allow the oranges to dry.