Winter Sun Cake
Blue Monday is the name given statistically to 'the most depressing day of the year', which usually falls on a day towards the end of January (sometimes on my birthday!). To brighten things up, try this cake: filled with sun-drenched preserved fruits, it's a lighter, more tropical take on the traditional fruit cake, a memory of summers past and a promise of summer to come. Consider it a cheaper version of a winter sun-seeking holiday! The cake itself is fairly fast to make, but needs at least two hours in the oven, which is still quicker than airport queuing!
I make the most of January's blood (blush) oranges in this recipe, but feel free to use any type of orange. The blood orange lends the frosting a subtle pink colour (if you aren't using blood oranges but want to replicate the pink frosting, simply use food colouring instead).
Ingredients
For the cake:
For the frosting:
Equipment:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C non-fan).
2. Wash the fruit and peel in warm water, to remove the syrupy coating. Dry using kitchen towel, and then cut the fruit and the peel into smallish pieces (still large enough to give distinctive texture and flavour). Cut the crystallised ginger into smaller pieces.
3. Toss the fruit, peel, ginger and zest in 2 tbsp of the pre-weighed flour.
Blue Monday is the name given statistically to 'the most depressing day of the year', which usually falls on a day towards the end of January (sometimes on my birthday!). To brighten things up, try this cake: filled with sun-drenched preserved fruits, it's a lighter, more tropical take on the traditional fruit cake, a memory of summers past and a promise of summer to come. Consider it a cheaper version of a winter sun-seeking holiday! The cake itself is fairly fast to make, but needs at least two hours in the oven, which is still quicker than airport queuing!
I make the most of January's blood (blush) oranges in this recipe, but feel free to use any type of orange. The blood orange lends the frosting a subtle pink colour (if you aren't using blood oranges but want to replicate the pink frosting, simply use food colouring instead).
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 170g glace cherries
- 110g glace pineapple
- 110g glace fruits (I used peaches, pears, and apricots - Waitrose does a selection in a small pack)
- 30g crystallised ginger
- 30g mixed peel
- 25g ground almonds
- 230g plain flour
- 60g cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 230g butter
- 140g caster sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp juice and zest of 1 orange (I used Ippolito oranges in this recipe)
- 2 ½ - 3 tbsp milk
For the frosting:
- 300-400g icing sugar, sifted (quantity depends on how deep you want the icing to be)
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
Equipment:
- Cake tin (approx. 20cm x 5cm deep), bottom and sides lined with baking parchment
- Brown paper and string, to wrap around the outside of the tin
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C non-fan).
2. Wash the fruit and peel in warm water, to remove the syrupy coating. Dry using kitchen towel, and then cut the fruit and the peel into smallish pieces (still large enough to give distinctive texture and flavour). Cut the crystallised ginger into smaller pieces.
3. Toss the fruit, peel, ginger and zest in 2 tbsp of the pre-weighed flour.
4. Sift the ground almonds, the rest of flour, cornflour, baking powder, and salt together.
5. Using an electric mixer, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Very gradually, add the eggs into the butter-sugar mixture. Add a little at a time to avoid curdling.
7. Using a metal spoon, fold in the flour mixture carefully (trying to avoid knocking out too much of the air), then a dash of the orange juice and a dash of the milk. Repeat until you have added all the flour, all the juice, and enough milk to loosen the mixture enough so that it’s not stiff but not sloppy (it should just drop off the spoon).
8. Fold in the fruit and then pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, carving out a small dip in the middle (see picture below) to prevent a dome-shaped cake, and then put it in the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 150°C fan (170°C non-fan) and cook for at least 2 hours, up to 2½ hours, until the cake is golden brown and it’s shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin. Keep an eye on the cake and reduce the oven temperature by 10°C again if it’s browning too quickly around the edges.
9. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: sift the icing sugar with the orange juice, adding the juice gradually to avoid ending up with a runny frosting. You want it to be a thick consistency. Spread the icing over the cake and then scatter the zest over the top (cocktail umbrellas optional!).