Blood Orange Sponge Cake

Happy Mothers Day! Some of the best moments shared are with tea and cake. Theres nothing nicer than a homemade cake baked for someone special and theres no one more special than a mother (especially on Mothers Day). I couldn’t resist adding some beautiful blood oranges with their stunning crimson colour to a simple sponge recipe to make this delightful cake.

This cake tastes divine and is a real seasonal treat. If blood oranges are no longer in season try with regular oranges or lemon.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients

  • 225g butter – soft
  • 225g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 225g self raising flour
  • 1 blood orange, zest and fruit chopped
  • For the caramelised blood oranges
  • 2 blood oranges finely sliced
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • ⅓ cup of water 
  • Cremé fraiche to serve 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven 170c. Line and grease a 9inc cake tin.
  2. Add the soft butter to a mixing bowl and, using an electric hand mixer, beat for a couple of minutes.
  3. Gradually add in the sugar and beat well until combined and the mix becomes pale in colour.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time and continue to beat to get air into the mix.
  5. Sieve in the flour and carefully fold in with a spatula.
  6. Zest 1 blood orange, then cut off the skin and white pith, remove any seeds and dice up the flesh.
  7. Add the zest and chopped flesh to the bowl and gently fold in.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes until cooked through.
  9. In the meantime make the caramelised blood orange slices. Slice 2 blood oranges thinly, discard the ends and any pips.
  10. Add the cup of sugar and water to a wide pot and cook on medium until the sugar is dissolved.
  11. Add all the orange slices and simmer for 30 minutes turning half way through.
  12. Take the slices from the pot and put them on a plate to cool, pour the pink syrup into a jug.
  13. Top the cooled cake with the cooled blood orange slices. Cut and serve a slice with creme fraichê and pour the syrup over.