Orange Drizzle Cake...

So, this week’s bake is something slightly different to what I would normally make, and I’ve never actually made a cake like this before. Last weekend I actually went to Seville and had the best time in such a beautiful city. I came back and wanted to bake something related to Seville and one of the main things that sprung to mind was oranges. It was so pretty walking down the little alleyways and seeing orange trees dotted here and there. Funnily enough I spent a lot of time looking up at the gorgeous balconies. I was either going to try and make an orange marmalade, as that’s what Seville oranges are famously used for, but then I changed my mind and wanted to try and make an orange drizzle cake. I was slightly apprehensive because I’m not the biggest fan of oranges but I was willing to be surprised. Baking is all about trying new things, think I found a new favourite flavour.

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The flavour of this cake is strong but not overwhelming. All the flavouring in this bake came from fresh oranges mainly from the zest and juice. For the cake mixture I measured 220g self-raising flour, 220g caster sugar, 220g butter, 4 eggs and 1 teaspoon of baking powder into a bowl. I mixed this until it was all combined. I then zested 1 orange and added all of this zest to the cake mixture. I had already greased two 8-inch tins and then distributed the mixture evenly between the two. I couldn’t help measure them before I baked them to make sure they were as even as possible. I baked the cakes for 20 minutes at 175 degrees until they were golden in colour.

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Next thing to make was the drizzle, in a separate bowl I measured 100g of caster sugar and added the zest and juice of half an orange. Once it was mixed together I set it to one side. After the cakes had been taken out of the oven I left them to cool for 5 minutes. I then chose which one I wanted to be on top and and carefully removed it from the tin, as it was still warm. I put the cake on top of a tray and then poured the drizzle on top and ran out down the sides. To finish the top and for some added decoration I added some zest. I didn’t put all the drizzle on top because it seemed to be a lot, so you can adjust the recipe if needed. I then left both cakes to cool completely before filling the middle with buttercream.

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So, for this cake, as if it didn’t have enough orange in it already I made an orange buttercream. In hindsight next time I think I’ll stick to a vanilla buttercream to break up the orange. For the buttercream I added 100g of butter and 150g icing sugar. It was deceiving making the buttercream because it didn’t seem like there would be enough but there was just the perfect amount. I then added the zest of half an orange and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. I think just adding the zest would’ve been enough. I levelled the top of the cake on the bottom. I then dolloped the buttercream onto the top of the cake and placed the drizzled cake on top.

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I was so pleased with how it turned out. I just had to take advantage of my aunties beautiful garden and take the photos of the cake outside in the sunshine. I loved how the drizzle on top cake gave the cake and added texture and it was honestly probably one of the moistest cakes I’ve made in a while. Considering I wasn’t that big of a fan on orange I loved this cake, and it went down a hit with my family who also loved it. I don’t think I could’ve come back from an amazing weekend in Seville and made anything better. It was a simple cake and I loved the orange zest on top and how vibrant it looked. This cake suits any summer afternoon and it’s the perfect thing to whip up on a sunny afternoon. If you haven’t already been I would also put Seville on your list of places to travel. Have a lovely week!

Lots of love,

Hannah x