This is my easiest bake and one of my favourites!
It's always my go to when I'm asked to bake something and I'm short on time (and effort) and everyone (with no exception so far) loves it.
It's a light and fluffy cake with a delicate flavour and a lovely vibrant sponge, perfect with some cream, as part of an afternoon tea, or simply eaten with a cup of tea and good friends.
Recipe
Prep Time : 20 mins, plus half hour baking
Serves : Well, I could probably eat this whole thing on my own...... but it'll cut into 7 slices if you feel like sharing.
Difficulty : Easy
6oz Butter (softened)
6oz Caster sugar
3 Eggs
6oz Self-raising flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
3 Oranges
1 Teaspoon vanilla paste (or a good quality vanilla essence)
1/2 Teaspoon of cinnamon
Icing sugar
Preheat your oven to 180-*c.
1 - Cream the sugar and butter together well, until the colour starts to lighten, if you're using an electric mixer leave it going for about 2 minutes till they go light and fluffy.
2 - Zest the 3 oranges, getting all that lovely flavour off and set aside, and juice one of the oranges.
3 - Whisk your eggs together with the vanilla, cinnamon, zest and juice.
4 - Add the eggs to the sugar and butter and mix well.
5 - Next sift your flour and baking powder into the mix and fold in until they're all mixed. Careful not to over-mix or you run the risk of a flat unrisen cake.
6 - Pour into a lined and greased 10 inch cake tin.
7 - Bake in the oven for approx 25 minutes, it may need a little longer, depending on your oven.
8 - Once cooked and cooled, dust with icing sugar.
Variations.
And the bells were ringing out, for Christmas day! - Increase the amount of cinnamon to 2 teaspoons and add a teaspoon of nutmeg for a Christmas spiced taste and eat along with a couple of glasses of warm mulled wine.
Oranges and lemons for the bells of St Clements - substitute 1 of the oranges zest for 2 lemons to add a more citrus flavour.
Drizzle ma Nizzle - make an orange drizzle using the juice of the other 2 oranges, mix with 4 tablespoons of icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and heat until it's all dissolved, drizzle onto the cake when it's hot out the oven and leave to cool.
Ice Ice baby - make an icing using the juice from the oranges and icing sugar till it reaches a thick white consistency, pour over the cooled cake and let set.