Orange Sponge Cake with Dark Chocolate Icing

 After I had posted a photograph of this cake on social media I was asked for the recipe, so here it is.

Ingredients

4 ozs lightly salted butter
4 ozs sugar (we use unrefined granulated sugar)
2 eggs (medium to large)
4 ozs gluten free self-raising flour (standard flour works just as well if you don't have a gluten intolerence)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pinch sea salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons orange extract (if you don't have this, use the finely grated zest of one large orange)

For icing
1 oz lightly salted butter
icing sugar
cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 375F, 190C, Gas mark 5 and grease and flour two 7 inch cake tins

Cream the butter and sugar together
Add the eggs and stir well until combined
Add the vanilla extract, salt and orange extract
Add the self-raisng flour and fold in carefully.
Divide between two cake tins.

Bake in the centre of the oven until golden.
Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave until cool.

For the icing.
In a bowl combine the butter with some icing sugar and cocoa powder at a ratio of approximately 50:50, this should give you a dryish mixture. Add vanilla extract and a very little cold water. Mix to a smooth paste, adding drop by drop of water if your icing needs to be smoother or less dry.

Cover one layer of cake with icing, put the second layer on cake on top and carefully cover with icing.

Gluten Free Naughty Salted Caramel Cake

Gluten Free Naughty Salted Caramel Cake

Ingredients

6 ozs Butter
4 ozs Caster Sugar
2 ozs Black Treacle
3 fresh Eggs
1 tspn Salted Caramel Flavouring
pinch of Sea Salt
7 ozs Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
up to 3 fl oz Milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C, 350 F or gas mark 4 - 5. Grease and flour 2 x 7 inch cake tins.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Beat in the black treacle and eggs.
Add the sea salt and caramel flavouring.
Gently stir the flour into the mixture.
Add milk if required to make a thick but smooth cake batter.
Spoon cake batter into tins and bake in centre of oven until deep golden brown and a knife comes out of it clean.

When cooked, leave to stand for a couple of minutes to allow cake to shrink away from tin sides and then turn on to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For filling and topping (see my video of making the topping here)

3 ozs Salted Butter
3 ozs Caster Sugar
2 tblspns Golden Syrup
1/2 tin of Sweetened Condensed Milk
Generous pinch of Sea Salt

Put butter, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk into a heavy pan over a medium heat.
Stir continuously to prevent toffee/fudge from sticking to the pan.
When light golden brown and it coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat and sprinkle salt into topping.

To make up cake

Place one cake layer onto a plate, gently pour the toffee mixture over and allow to spread to the edges. 
Put top layer of cake on and pour toffee mixture over it.
Allow toffee mixture to cool before serving to prevent burns.

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Lemon Drizzle Cake (improved)

Having practiced this Lemon Drizzle Cake many times, I have adjusted and improved my old recipe.

Lemon Drizzle Cake (improved)

Ingredients

4oz lightly salted Butter

2oz unrefined Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
Finely grated zest and juice of unwaxed Lemon
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
4oz Besan Flour (or chick pea flour)
2oz finely ground Cornmeal
1 level tspn gluten free Baking Powder
1/2 tspn Xanthan Gum
pinch Sea Salt crushed

For drizzling

2oz Icing Sugar

Finely grated zest and juice of unwaxed Lemon

6 fl oz hot Water

Method

Preheat oven to 375F, 190C, 170 fan, gas mark 5.
Grease and line or flour a 9 inch round tin or flan dish.

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well. Stir in grated zest and juice of one lemon.

Sir in cornmeal, besan flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt and mix well
Pour into prepared tin or dish.
Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 25 minutes. Check that it is fully cooked using a skewer (if it comes out clean, the cake is ready).
Prick the top liberally with a cocktail stick or fork.
Prepare drizzling liquid by combining the icing sugar, zest and juice of lemon and hot water.
Drizzle the liquid over the cake while it is still hot (it should absorb most of the drizzle very quickly).
Leave to cool.
Turn cake onto a serving plate or serve from the flan dish.

Variations

If I don't have fresh lemons I substitute the lemons with Sicilian Lemon Extract or bottled lemon juice.

This cake also works well with 2 large tablespoons of lemon curd stirred into the cake mixture just before putting into the flan dish or tin.

You can use limes or oranges rather than lemons.

Served hot it makes a great sponge pudding.

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Gluten Free Cinnamon Marble Cake

A few folks have requested the recipe for a GF cake that I posted a photo of on social media. I make all my cakes with the same basic recipe, purely because now I've worked out what works for me, there seems little point in messing with it. This cake is very sweet and if you prefer less sweetness, reduce or omit the sugar in the drizzling mixture.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Marble Cake

4oz organic salted butter
3oz unrefined caster sugar
2 large eggs
6oz finely ground cornmeal
1/2 level teaspoon xanthan gum
1 level teaspoon gluten free baking powder
milk

For the marbling -
1oz organic salted butter
20g ground cinnamon powder

For drizzling (essential or the cake will be very dry) -
3oz icing sugar
7 fluid oz hot water
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F, 190C, 170 fan, gas mark 5.
Grease and line or flour a 9 inch round tin or flan dish.

Cream the butter and caster sugar, add the eggs and beat the mixture well to make a soft, almost runny mixture.
Add the cornmeal, xanthan gum and baking powder and combine well.
Add enough milk (a little at a time) to make the mixture soft and almost runny again.
Melt the butter for the marbling and stir in the cinnamon powder to form a thick paste.
Dot the paste (in four or five dots) over the top of the cake mixture and swirl the cinnamon mix through the cake mixture (do not stir in too much).
Pour into the prepared tin or dish and cook in the centre of the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre. The cake will be firmer than a Victoria sponge type cake and doesn't rise very much.
While cake is still hot and before turning it out of the tin, stir together icing sugar, water and lemon juice until icing sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour over the cake slowly and allow it to be absorbed into the cake.
Leave to cool before turning out (or just eat it hot!).
Once cool keep covered in cling film or bee wrap to keep moist.