Fresh orange cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• Grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange
• 2 tsp Sicilian orange extract
• 12 mini orange jelly slices, to decorate

For the filling

• 280g full-fat cream cheese
• 50g unsalted butter
• 500g icing sugar, sifted
• Grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange

You will need

• 20cm round cake tins x 2, greased, then base-lined with baking paper
• Piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/ Gas 4. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl. Add the eggs, butter, sugar, milk, orange zest and orange extract and beat everything together until the mixture is smooth.

Spoon half the sponge mixture into each prepared tin and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the cakes are firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and peel off the paper. Leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until just incorporated, then beat in the icing sugar and orange zest until thick and smooth.

Use 1/2 the filling mixture to sandwich the two sponges together, then spread 1/4 of the remaining filling over the top. Spoon the remaining 1/4 into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle and pipe 12 evenly spaced blobs around the edge of the cake. Top each blob with an orange jelly slice.

The Great British Bake Off: Get Baking for Friends and Family is out now, published by Sphere price £20.00

Visit our baking recipe section for more cakes, pastries, tarts and biscuits.