I recently made a wedding cake for a family friend and, this weekend, I’m sharing the recipes & all of the fun, summer-y details! This was only my second time making a wedding cake (check out my Wedding Cake Week series for the first time, where I made the cake for my brother’s big day!), so I am by no means a professional, but I’m so happy with how these cakes turned out and I’m so excited to share them with you!

Yesterday, I shared the recipe for the Homemade Candied Orange Peels that I used to decorate the cakes. Today, I’m sharing the recipe for the main cake itself: an 8-inch, single-tier (but 4-layer!), naked number, featuring an orange & olive oil sponge and a super easy Greek yoghurt & honey icing. To top it all off, the cake is decorated with a ring of edible pressed flowers, along with some of the candied orange peels.

This cake is a scaled-up version of my Mini Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing (from my Bridgerton Watch Party series!). The flavours and basic recipe are the same, just, well, bigger! I’ve also made this recipe multiple times now (in various iterations!), so I’ve definitely picked up a few tips and tricks for getting perfect results every time, which I’ll share in this post too.

Equipment

To make this cake, you will need the following specialist equipment:

• 2 x 8-inch circular sandwich tins

I use these tins from Silverwood, which have removable bases. They’re my absolute favourite baking tins.

• DIY Cake Release

You absolutely need to use my DIY Cake Release to line the tins when making this recipe: the cake is very prone to sticking to the tin and the cake release is the only thing I’ve found that prevents this!

• 2 x 8-inch circles of baking paper

Just for some extra peace of mind, along with the DIY Cake Release, I like to line the base of each tin with a circle of baking paper. You can buy these ready cut (a lifesaver if you bake a lot!), or you can trace the base of your tins and cut them out yourself.

• Electric whisk

There’s a lot of whisking in this recipe, so I really do recommend using an electric whisk for it. I used a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, but if you’re feeling a bit more energetic, you could use a handheld electric whisk, instead.

• Cake leveller/large serrated knife

You’ll need to split each cake into two layers horizontally (for a total of 4 layers). I like to use a cake leveller for this because then I know the layers will be even and straight, but, if you don’t have one, you can use a large serrated knife instead. This is the cake leveller I use.

• Piping bag + large round piping nozzle

The icing on this cake is piped in a series of dollops, both between the layers and on top. Because it’s a naked cake, this is a really nice way of getting a pretty finish to the top and the sides and, as an added bonus, it means you’ll always have an even layer of icing between each layer. To get this effect, you will need a piping bag and a large, round piping nozzle (the exact size of the nozzle isn’t too important, so use whatever you have!).

Ingredients

To make the cakes, you will need:

• Caster sugar

I use golden caster sugar because I like the flavour better, but you can use white caster sugar if you prefer.

• Oranges

You’ll need the zest of 4 oranges and 120ml of freshly squeezed orange juice (approx. 2-3 oranges) for this recipe. I recommend using unwaxed oranges.

• Eggs

As always, I use large eggs.

• Extra-virgin olive oil

Use a strong, extra-virgin olive oil, so that the flavour really shines through in the cake.

• Plain flour

Make sure to use plain flour, not self-raising, for this recipe, otherwise there will be too much raising agent (we’re adding baking powder in separately!).

• Baking powder

This helps the cakes to rise and become super light and fluffy.

• Salt

A fine sea salt works best for this recipe.

To make the icing, you will need:

• Greek yoghurt

Not all Greek yoghurts are made equal! For best results, look for a Greek yoghurt that has a fat content of about 10% and a neutral flavour— this will ensure you end up with a thick, creamy icing. Try to avoid yoghurts with additional stabilisers, as these will affect the final texture.

• Double cream

If you’re in the US, use heavy cream.

• Honey

For best results, use a runny honey (as opposed to a set honey, which is waxier and will affect the final texture of the icing).

To decorate the cake, you will need:

• Candied orange peels

You can find the recipe for these here. They can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 6-8 weeks.

• Edible pressed flowers

I used an assortment of pressed flowers from Nurtured in Norfolk (my go-to source for edible flowers!). My selection included yarrow leaves, lavender heads, primulas, violas, pansies and daisies. I also used their Dried Petal Mix to add a confetti-esque vibe to the cake, which I think really elevated it!

Making the Orange & Olive Oil Sponges: Tips & Tricks

I’ve already shared a step-by-step tutorial for this orange & olive oil cake batter here on the blog, as part of my Bridgerton Watch Party series (you can find that post here!), so I won’t do a deep dive into this scaled up version here. However, as I mentioned, I have perfected the method for this cake during my practices, so I thought I’d share some tips & tricks with you in this psot!

• The DIY Cake Release is essential.

I don’t know what it is about this particular sponge recipe, but it sticks. I found that greasing the cake tin with butter/oil didn’t work, but using my homemade, DIY Cake Release (thankfully!) seemed to do the trick! I do also add a circle of baking paper to the bottom of the tin, just for an extra layer of protection, but don’t be tempted to line the sides too, because the cake needs to ‘cling’ to them to rise properly. I had the best results when I brushed the base and sides of the tin with a layer of DIY Cake Release, then added the baking paper, then brushed another, thin layer of the cake release just on top of the baking paper. It sounds a bit overkill, but it works!

• Zest the oranges directly over the bowl with the sugar.

Zesting the oranges directly over the mixing bowl containing the sugar means that all of the essential oils that are released from the fruit as you zest drop directly into the bowl, so you get even more orange flavour!

• Mix the zest and sugar together before adding the eggs.

Use the back of a spoon to press the zest and sugar together until it’s evenly combined. This is another trick that really helps to amplify the orange flavour, while also ensuring that the zest is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

• Whisk the eggs and sugar together until super thick.

It’s so easy to under-whisk the eggs and sugar when making foam cakes! You want the mixture to be super thick (like the consistency of softly whipped cream!), pale and fluffy, so whisk it for a good while. You can also use the ‘ribbon stage’ test to see if the mixture is ready: you should be able to draw a complete figure of eight with the ribbon of batter falling off the beater before the shape you’ve drawn settles back into the rest of the mixture.

I would definitely recommend using an electric whisk for this: I like to use my stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment for best results, but if you’ve got more arm strength than me, you could use a handheld whisk instead.

• Add the olive oil/orange juice in slow, steady streams, with the mixer running.

You want both of these liquids to incorporate into the egg/sugar mixture fully before you add the dry ingredients. The best way to do this is to add them each in a slow, steady stream, with the mixer running, to ensure that they are fully and evenly incorporated.

• Add the dry ingredients 1/4 at a time.

Adding the dry ingredients is the main pitfall with this recipe, because the flour mixture has a tendency to clump and then ‘hide’ in the batter, so, when you cut into your cakes, you find pesky lumps of unmixed flour! One way to help prevent this is to add the dry ingredients in batches and folding in each one fully (but gently) before adding the next batch. I like to do this in quarters (i.e. 4 separate additions).

• Sift each batch of dry ingredients directly over the top of the batter.

Sifting the dry ingredients into the mixture helps to prevent the batter from losing too much air, because you’re distributing the weight over a larger area and only a light layer is added each time.

• Use a handheld balloon whisk to ‘fold’ in the dry ingredients.

Look, I wouldn’t normally recommend using a balloon whisk to ‘fold’ in ingredients, but a whisk is much better at breaking up any clumps of flour than a spoon/spatula. Additionally, you’re less likely to get a build up of flour on the whisk itself, which means less risk of clumps! To ‘fold’ in the ingredients with a whisk, just use the exact same motion that you would use with a spoon/spatula, cutting under and back through the mixture, making sure to be gentle, but thorough, to evenly mix the batter without knocking out too much of the air.

• Use a spatula for the final stir.

I use a spatula to make sure I get all of the batter out of the bowl anyway, so I like to use it to do one final, gentle stir of the batter to catch any lingering bits of flour, particularly at the bottom of the bowl. Keep this brief though, you don’t want to knock too much air out!

• Check for doneness with a skewer.

This particular sponge cake feels quite soft when it first comes out of the oven, so, while I usually recommend gently touching the surface of the cake with your finger to check for doneness, that won’t work here. Instead, I like to insert a skewer into the very centre of the cake: if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. You’ll also notice that the cake will start to pull away from the sides of the tin when it’s ready, so you can use that as an indicator too.

• Gently release the cakes from the edges of the tin as soon as they come out of the oven.

I mentioned that this cake has a tendency to stick to the tin and, sadly, that continues even after it is baked. The DIY Cake Release will have done the hard work for you, but it’s very important that as soon as you take the cake out of the oven, you gently push the edges of the cake inwards, away from the sides, to help release them. If the cake’s too hot for your fingers, you can use the flat edge of a palette knife, or the back of a spoon for this. Be gentle, though, because you don’t want to tear the sponge. If you don’t do this, you won’t get a neat edge to your cake later on (believe me, I’ve been there!).

Making the Honey-Yoghurt Icing: Tips & Tricks

Just like with the cake batter, I’ve already got a tutorial for the honey-yoghurt icing here on the blog (you can find it here). Again, I’ll just be sharing a few tips & tricks for getting perfect icing every time in this post:

• Use a Greek yoghurt containing 10% fat.

This one took a bit of trial and error to uncover, but it’s really important that your Greek yoghurt has a fat content of at least 10%. The higher fat content gives a thicker yoghurt without the need for stabilisers, and will make your icing the perfect consistency.

• Use a runny honey.

Set/creamed honeys typically have a higher wax content than runny honey, which will affect the mouthfeel/texture of your icing, so I’d recommend opting for a runny honey for the best results.

• Whisk until the mixture reaches stiff peaks, but don’t over-whip.

Because of the cream in this icing, it can be overwhipped, at which point it will start to look curdled. You want the icing to be stiff enough to hold its shape and support the weight of the cake (which it can do— it’s a surprisingly strong and stable icing!), but you don’t want to overwhip it, so I recommend whipping until it just holds stiff peaks (if you tilt the bowl slightly, the icing inside shouldn’t ‘slip’ around— that’s when you know it’s ready!). Be aware that as you pipe the icing it will thicken up a little more too, so it’s better to under-whip it to begin with: you can always squeeze it back out and whip it again if needed.

Assembling the Cake

Once your cakes are baked and your icing is made, it’s time to assemble the cake. Assembling the bigger version of this recipe is a similar process to the mini cakes, but not exactly the same (mainly because we’re working with 4 layers here, as opposed to 3!).

First up, you need to split each cake into two separate layers, so that you end up with a total of four thin layers of cake. You can do this with a large, serrated knife but I prefer to use a cake leveller, because this cake is quite delicate (and I don’t trust myself to cut in a straight line freehand!).

Once you’ve split the cake layers, you can start assembling. Because this was a wedding cake, I assembled it directly onto the board I would be transporting/serving the cake on, so I started by spreading a generous amount of the icing onto the middle of the board, to stick down the first layer.

Make sure that first cake layer is sitting level and is centred on the serving board/plate, then pipe the icing all over the surface in dollops, arranging them in concentric circles. I like to work around the circumference of the cake first (making sure to be neat, as those are the dollops that will show once the cake is assembled), before working inwards until the whole surface is covered.

Once the first icing layer is finished, you can carefully add the next layer of cake, making sure it is level and lined up with the cake below. Then, you just repeat the same icing process all over again.

Keep going like this until you’ve added the final cake layer, then add the final layer of icing, still in that piped dollop formation, making sure to be extra neat this time around because this top layer will be on show!

As I mentioned, this is a deceptively sturdy icing that will really keep your cake standing strong. However, it will benefit from a quick chill in the fridge, just to help it firm up. I like to do this before I add the decoration, so that I don’t jostle it about too much as I add the candied peels/flowers, but the cake needs to be stored in the fridge anyway, so you can do this after you’ve decorated it instead, if you prefer.

Decoration

The decoration on this cake super easy: you’re basically just adding an assortment of pressed, edible flowers and homemade orange peels around the circumference of the cake, right on top of that final icing layer. If it helps, you can picture it as a kind of ‘flower crown’, topping off the cake!

I like to start with the bigger pressed flowers/leaves, then work my way down to the smaller, ‘filler’ flowers. Once I’d added all of the individual flowers, I added the orange peels. Finally, I scattered over some of the flower petal ‘confetti’, to really add a bit of life and celebration to the cake.

With that, it was done! As I mentioned, the cake does need to be stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it, because of the cream in the icing. As long as both the cream and the yoghurt are still within their use-by date, this cake will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Recipe

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Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cake with Honey-Yoghurt Icing

A scaled-up version of my mini orange & olive oil cakes, decorated with edible pressed flowers and homemade candied orange peels: this is a perfect, summer celebration cake!

Course Dessert

Keyword Cake, Greek yoghurt, Honey, Olive oil, Orange

Prep Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 36 wedding servings

Equipment

• 2 x 8-inch round sandwich tins (see Note 1).
• 2 x 8-inch round circles of baking paper
• 1 piping bag, fitted with a large, round nozzle
• 1 cake leveller (or a large, serrated knife).

Ingredients

For the tin:

• 1 batch DIY Cake Release (see Note 2).

For the cake:

• 300 g golden caster sugar
• 4 oranges (zest of 4 + 120ml juice (approx. 2-3 oranges)).
• 4 eggs
• 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Fine sea salt

For the icing:

• 630 g Greek yoghurt (at least 10% fat)(see Note 3).
• 320 ml double cream
• 90 g runny honey

For the decoration:

• Edible pressed flowers (see Note 4).
• Candied orange peels (see Note 5).

Instructions

Prepare the cake tins:

• Brush each cake tin all over with a layer of DIY Cake Release. Add a circle of baking paper to the bottom of each tin, then brush the surface of the paper with a little more Cake Release. Set aside.

Make the cakes:

• Preheat the oven to 165°C (conventional oven, not fan).
• Place the caster sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Zest all 4 oranges directly into the bowl with the sugar, then use the back of spoon to press the zest into the sugar until evenly distributed.
• Add the eggs to the sugar, then whisk on high speed until the mixture has become pale and doubled in size. It should be thick and creamy, like the consistency of softly whipped cream.
• While the egg mixture is whisking, combine the flour, baking powder and sea salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
• With the mixer running, pour the olive oil into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, until it is all incorporated.
• Repeat this process with the orange juice, pouring it in in a slow, steady stream with the mixer running, until it is all incorporated.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and sift 1/4 of the dry ingredient mixture directly over the surface of the batter. Use a handheld balloon whisk to fold the dry ingredients in gently, but thoroughly.
• Repeat this process 3 more times, adding 1/4 of the dry ingredients each time, until they are completely incorporated. Switch to a spatula for one final, brief stir to make sure no flour remains at the bottom of the bowl.
• Divide the batter between the two prepared tins, then bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the edges of the cakes are starting to pull away from the sides of the tins and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
• As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, use your fingers, or the flat edge of a palette knife, to very gently push the edges of the cakes inwards, towards the centre. This helps the cakes to release from the sides of the tin, making it easier to get them out of the tin once they are cool and ensuring that the cakes have neat edges later.
• Allow the cakes to cool most of the way in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack, carefully remove the baking paper from the bottom and allow to cool completely before assembling.

Make the icing:

• When the cakes are cool, make the icing. Place the yoghurt, cream and honey into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on high speed until the mixture just holds stiff peaks. Don't over-whip. Transfer to a piping bag, fitted with a large, round nozzle.

Assemble the cake:

• Once the cakes are cold and the icing is made, it's time to assemble. Start by dividing each cake into two layers horizontally, so you're left with 4, thin layers. I use a cake leveller for this, but you can use a large, serrated knife instead.
• Add a generous smear of icing to the centre of your serving plate/board, then stick the first layer of cake on top, making sure it is centred and level.
• Pipe a circle of icing dollops all around the circumference of the first cake's surface, then work your way inwards until the surface is completely covered with icing.
• Carefully top with the second layer of cake, then repeat the icing process again.
• Repeat this twice more, taking extra care with the final layer of icing, as this will will be on show.
• Place the cake into the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes, then arrange the edible flowers and orange peels on top, placing them around the circumference of the cake, right on top of that final icing layer.
• The cake must be stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. As long as the cream/yoghurt were well within their use-by date, it will last for 2-3 days.

Notes

1. I use these tins from Silverwood.
2. My recipe for DIY Cake Release is absolutely essential for this recipe, because the cake batter is very prone to sticking to the tins.
3. Make sure to use a Greek yoghurt that has a fat content of 10%: this will make for a perfectly thick, creamy and stable icing.
4. I used a selection of pressed, edible flowers from Nurtured in Norfolk.
5. You can find my recipe for Homemade Candied Orange Peels here.

Today’s recipe is for these Mini Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing! The name may be a bit of a mouthful, but they’re so delicious that I don’t even mind!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Orange and Olive Oil Cakes
• Making the Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing
• Assembling the Mini Layer Cakes
• Mini Orange and Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing Recipe

Inspiration

These layer cakes are inspired by the male lead of the upcoming season: Colin Bridgerton. Colin’s love of travelling is a recurring theme throughout the series, and he seems to have a particular fondness for exploring the Mediterranean, so I wanted to create a cake that felt fresh, sunny and incorporated some of the flavours and ingredients that I associate with the region. I ended up with this moist, light orange cake, which is made using olive oil (as a little nod to Colin’s olive joke in Season 2 that makes me giggle every time). I also decided to turn the sponges into these little mini layer cakes, to make them extra special and fit for an afternoon tea-style dessert table. I actually used my Moroccan Meskouta recipe as a starting point for the cake recipe- I just adapted it ever so slightly to use olive oil (instead of regular oil), and for baking in mini sandwich tins (as opposed to a bundt tin). While I don’t think Colin ever mentions going to Morocco, it is technically a Mediterranean country, so I’m rolling with it.

I filled and decorated each cake with a light and tangy Greek yoghurt icing, to really drive home the Mediterranean theming (though my research tells me Greek yoghurt is really just strained yoghurt and not necessarily Greek at all, which is kind of embarrassing for me, but also, what can you do?). Instead of using sugar to sweeten the icing, I opted to use honey, as a nod to one of the most iconic recurring motifs in the show: the bee. The resulting icing is a light, creamy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet topping that marries perfectly with the bright, zesty cake.

Ingredients

To make the orange and olive oil cake batter, you will need:

• Caster sugar

It’s best to use caster sugar, as opposed to granulated sugar, because it dissolves more easily as you beat it into the eggs.

• Oranges

For this recipe, you need both the zest and the juice. You’ll need the zest of two large oranges, but only 60ml of freshly squeezed juice, which is about one orange’s worth, so you’ll have some fruit leftover.

• Eggs

As always, I’m using large eggs.

• Extra virgin olive oil

It’s important to use a strong olive oil here, to impart both flavour and colour. The stronger the olive oil, the more noticeable it will be in the finished cake. Whatever you use, though, it will lend a lovely moistness to the cake- so you’ll be happy either way!

• Plain flour

I use plain flour to ensure I have control over the amount of baking powder in the batter. If you only have self-raising flour to hand, I would recommend omitting the baking powder.

• Baking powder

Baking powder helps the cakes to rise and develop a light and fluffy texture.

• Salt

Just a pinch- to help bring out the other flavours.

For the icing, you will need:

• Greek yoghurt

For a Greek yoghurt icing, you obviously need Greek yoghurt! I recommend using full-fat yoghurt for the best results.

• Double cream

This is mixed with the Greek yoghurt to give the icing a lovely, light texture, but also stiffens the icing, so that it can be piped. If you’re in the US, use heavy cream.

• Honey

To sweeten the icing. Use a honey that you like the taste of, because it will also flavour the icing. I recommend using a runny honey for this recipe.

I decorated my mini layer cakes with some edible dried flowers, which you can find here (though this pack contains a variety of sizes and some are a little too big for these mini cakes! You could also try this pack, which contains fewer large flowers!). However, you can obviously decorate these cakes however you like- you could leave them plain, dust them with icing sugar, sprinkle over some more orange zest or even place on a few pieces of candied orange peel on top. It’s completely up to you!

Making the Orange and Olive Oil Cakes

To make these mini layer cakes, you need the right tin. This mini sandwich tin from Lakeland is essentially a 12-hole cupcake tin, except each cavity has straight sides and an individual, removable base. If you don’t want to buy a whole new tin, you can absolutely just make these cakes in cupcake form, or make a big cake and stamp out the circles using a cookie cutter.

Once you have the tin, you need to prepare it. I like to use my DIY Cake Release to grease the tin for this recipe, because this cake batter does have a tendency to stick to the sides of the tin without it. Just use a pastry brush to cover each cavity with a thin layer of cake release, which will help to ensure your cakes come out easily and have a perfectly golden edge all around (which is important, because these mini layer cakes will have naked sides!). I like to cut little circles of greaseproof paper and stick them onto the bottom of each cavity, too, just to make it even easier to get the cakes out, but this is optional.

Now, you can get to baking! Set the prepared tin aside and preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven).

Place the caster sugar and orange zest into a large bowl and mix together, using the back of a spoon to really press the ingredients into each other, until the zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar. This helps to extract every bit of flavour from the zest.

Then, add the eggs and whisk (I like to use a handheld electric whisk for this, but you could use a freestanding mixer, if you prefer) until the ribbon stage is achieved. When the mixture is ready, it should be pale and creamy. The mixture should be falling off the beaters in ‘ribbons’ (hence the ‘ribbon’ stage), with which you should be able to draw a figure of eight before they settle back into the rest of the mixture.

At this point, you can add the olive oil. With the mixer going, add the oil to the mixture in a slow, continuous stream and mix until completely incorporated.

Next, add the freshly squeezed orange juice and mix again, to combine.

Finally, sift in the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder and salt). Use a large, metal spoon to carefully fold them into the mixture, until no streaks of flour remain.

Divide the mixture between the 12 holes of the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes have turned a deep, golden colour and a sharp knife/skewer comes out clean (or with only a few moist crumbs).

Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before using your fingers to gently pull the cakes away from the side of the tin. Once the tray is cool enough to handle, push the cakes out from the bottom, using the removable bases of the tin to help you, and transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and decorating.

Making the Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing

This icing is super quick and easy to make- you literally put all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk! Again, I like to use a handheld electric whisk for this, but you can use a freestanding mixer, if you prefer. You can even use a hand whisk, if you’re feeling particularly energetic!

Place the Greek yoghurt, cream and honey into a large bowl.

Whip on high speed until the mixture is thick and just about holding a stiff peak- you want it to hold its shape when piped, but not to be over-whipped and turn into a strange, tangy butter hybrid situation. Not the vibe.

And that’s it! You can always add more/less honey if you want to make it more/less sweet, so do whatever works for you. Transfer the icing to a piping bag, fitted with a small(ish), round nozzle and you can get to assembling!

Assembling the Mini Layer Cakes

Once the cakes are completely cool and your icing is whipped and ready to go, you can assemble your cakes.

Start by using a small, serrated knife to cut each cake into 3 horizontal layers. The cakes are pretty sturdy, but you still want to use a gentle, sawing motion here to prevent any breakage.

To fill the cakes, I opted to pipe little dollops of icing all around the circumference of the layers, then filled the remaining space in the middle with one, bigger dollop. This gives the cakes are super pretty, professional look once they are stacked up, but you can fill them however you like- if you don’t have a piping bag, you could always just spread the icing on with the back of a spoon! It’s completely up to you.

Pipe the icing onto the bottom layer of each cake, then sandwich the middle layers right on top. Repeat the piping process all over again, before finishing off each cake with their final, domed top layer.

Once the cakes are filled, it’s time to ice the tops. I used the same icing pattern for the top, and pressed one edible dried flower onto the larger, middle dollop on each cake, as decoration.

And that’s it! Your mini layer cakes are ready! Once filled, they are best eaten right away, but will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days (as long as the icing ingredients are still within their use by dates, of course).

Mini Orange and Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing Recipe

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Mini Orange and Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing

Inspired by Colin Bridgerton's travels around the Mediterranean, these mini layer cakes are the perfect, summer-y afternoon treat to enjoy while watching an episode of Bridgerton!

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword Greek yoghurt, Honey, Mini layer cakes, Olive oil, Orange

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cakes

Equipment

• 1 x 12-hole mini sandwich tin (see Note 1).

Ingredients

For the orange and olive oil cakes:

• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 oranges, zested.
• 2 eggs
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 60 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed (about 1 orange).
• 125 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt

For the Greek yoghurt and honey icing:

• 340 g full-fat Greek yoghurt
• 170 ml double cream
• 2 tbsp runny honey (or to taste).

Instructions

Make the orange and olive oil cakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush each cavity of the mini sandwich tin with a thin layer of DIY Cake Release (see Note 2) and line the bases with a circle of greaseproof paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and the orange zest, using the back of a spoon to press the ingredients into each other, until the zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar.
• Add the eggs to the sugar and zest mixture, then beat, using an electric whisk on high speed, until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage.
• With the mixer running, add the oil to the mixture in a slow and steady stream, whisking until it is completely incorporated.
• Add the orange juice and whisk again to combine.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold in using a large, metal spoon until no streaks of flour remain.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cavities of the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes have turned a deep, golden colour and a sharp knife/skewer comes out clean (or with only a few moist crumbs).
• Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then use your fingertips to gently pry each one away from the edges of the tin. Once the tin is cool enough to handle, remove the cakes from the tin, using the removable bases to push them out from the bottom, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and decorating.

Make the Greek yoghurt and honey icing:

• Place the Greek yoghurt, double cream and honey into a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer (or your preferred utensil), whip on high speed until the icing just about holds stiff peaks.
• Transfer the icing to a piping bag, fitted with a small, round nozzle, ready to fill the cakes.

Assemble the mini layer cakes:

• Use a small, serrated knife to cut each of the cooled cakes into 3 horizontal layers.
• Pipe a concentric circle of icing dollops around the circumference of each of the bottom cake layers, then fill the gap in the middle with one larger dollop.
• Sandwich the middle cake layers on top of the bottom layers, then repeat the piping process again and top with the final, domed cake layers.
• Pipe a final layer of icing on top of each cake, then decorate with an edible dried flower, or your choice of decoration, and serve. The cakes are best served on the day they are assembled, but will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days (as long as the icing ingredients are within their use by dates).

Notes

1. I got my mini sandwich tin from Lakeland. You can find it here.
2. You can find my recipe for DIY Cake Release here. I strongly recommend using this for these cakes, as they have a tendency to stick to the tins without it!

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Meskouta: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making Meskouta
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Meskouta: Explained

Meskouta, also called Kika, or, when flavoured with citrus, ‘Winter Cake’, is a Moroccan, butter-less sponge cake. The recipe was developed (or possibly just rose to prominence- I couldn’t quite figure this out during my research) during the French/Spanish colonisation of Morocco, when butter was very expensive and hard to get a hold of, so oil was used instead. Meskouta seems to be one of those recipes for which every Moroccan family has their own recipe, which has been passed down through generations. Some are made in loaf tins, but the cakes are most often baked in a tube/Bundt tin. I was (very excitingly) gifted a Nordic Ware Bundt tin for Christmas by my brother and his fiancée, so I opted to use that for my Meskouta.

There are many variations of Meskouta– some are flavoured with lemon, vanilla or yoghurt, but orange seems to be one of the most common flavours. In fact, the citrus variations are so common they even have their own name: ‘Winter Cakes’, after the season when citrus fruits ripen.

Meskouta is commonly served at teatime, for breakfast or as a snack. It is also sometimes served as part of Iftar (the daily meal that is held after sunset during Ramadan, when the day’s fast is broken). It is often served alongside hot mint tea or coffee. The cake itself can be served in a variety of ways: it can simply be eaten plain, it can be dusted with icing sugar or drizzled with a sugar syrup (on special occasions!), but the most popular method is apparently spreading the slices of cake with a layer of jam and sprinkling with coconut (which kind of reminds me of an Australian Lamington?). I did try this with my Meskouta and it was very tasty, though I wasn’t sure if the coconut in question was supposed to be fresh or desiccated, so it’s very possible that I have made a coconut-related faux pas…

Ingredients

Meskouta is essentially a butter-less sponge cake, so the ingredients for the (unflavoured) batter are relatively straightforward:

• Eggs

I always use large eggs for baking. These will be beaten together with the sugar until they reach the ‘ribbon’ stage, which will give the finished cake structure, but also make it light and fluffy.

• Caster sugar

I use caster sugar in baking, because it dissolves into batters more quickly and easily than granulated sugar.

• Vegetable oil

You can use any flavourless oil for this- I used sunflower oil, but groundnut oil would also work (if you do use the latter though, obviously do not to give this cake to anyone with a nut allergy).

• Plain flour

Don’t use self-raising flour, or the batter will contain too much raising agent and your cake might collapse.

• Baking powder

Meskouta recipes seem to contain a LOT of baking powder- I have seen a couple of suggestions that variations in the baking powder itself might be the reason behind this, but I’m not 100% sure. I ended up using less than a lot of the recipes I came across in mine- my cake rose perfectly though, even if it that makes it slightly less authentic.

• Vanilla extract

This is a pretty egg-heavy cake, so, even though you want the orange flavour to be the most prominent, it’s important to counteract any potential ‘egginess’ with a small amount of vanilla.

• Salt

Just a pinch, to bring out the flavour!

Then, for this orange meskouta (or ‘Winter Cake’), you will need 3 extra ingredients to impart all of that orange-y flavour:

• Orange zest

Most of the flavour of the orange is in the zest, so this cake contains lots of it! To really heighten the flavour, I like to mix the zest with the sugar before whipping it together with the eggs. This way, you ensure that the zest is evenly distributed throughout the cake and the zest also has a chance to release some of its oils.

• Orange juice

This cake contains a significant amount of orange juice- not only does this help to give the batter the correct consistency, it also imparts even more orange flavour and makes the cake super moist. It’s very important to use freshly-squeezed orange juice, to get the best flavour. Zest the oranges first, then squeeze out the juice (and strain it, to remove any pulp), to make things easier for yourself.

• Orange blossom water

Orange blossom water is a bit of a specialist ingredient here in the UK, but it is very popular in Moroccan cuisine. As you might expect, it has a citrus-y, floral taste that really adds to this cake- it’s subtle, but it does make a big difference, so it’s worth sourcing if you can. If you can’t find it, just add a little more fresh orange zest- the cake will still be delicious!

Making Meskouta

Good news: making Meskouta is actually pretty straightforward! First things first, you need to prepare your tin. As I mentioned, I am using a Bundt tin for this cake and it’s notoriously difficult to get cakes out of those in one piece! Earlier this week, I posted a recipe for a DIY Cake Release– a thin paste that you can brush onto your cake tins to ensure that the cakes do not stick and pop right out once baked. If, you’re ever baking a cake in a Bundt tin, I would strongly recommend doing this- just greasing the tin won’t be enough, and, while dusting a greased tin with flour will help a lot, you can sometimes be left with little pockets of flour baked onto the Bundt, which doesn’t look so nice!

After that, preheat your oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Then, you can get on with making the cake batter.

Start by placing the sugar and the orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also make this recipe using an electric hand mixer, but I wouldn’t recommend making it by hand because there will be a lot of beating in a minute!).

Mix the sugar and zest together on low speed, until the zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar. This will help to ensure that there is plenty of zest in every bite of cake (and to extract as much orange flavour as possible!).

Once the sugar and zest are well-combined, add the eggs and whisk on medium-high speed, until the ‘ribbon’ stage is reached. When the mixture is ready, it will be pale, thick and creamy. It should also ‘fall’ off the paddle in ribbons (hence, the ‘ribbon’ stage). As a final test, you should be able to draw a figure of eight with that ribbon, before it disappears into the rest of the batter.

While the mixture is whipping, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl, then set aside for later.

Once the egg mixture has reached the ribbon stage, add the oil in a slow, steady stream, with the mixer still running. Continue mixing until fully incorporated, then add the orange juice, orange blossom water and vanilla extract. Mix briefly to combine.

Now, add the dry ingredients to the mixture, by scattering them over the top in an even layer. I know this seems a bit faffy, but it’s important to preserve as much of the air in the batter as possible- plonking all of the dry ingredients on top, in one go and in one spot, will deflate all of the air you worked so hard to whip into the eggs! Take the extra minute and scatter in those dry ingredients!

With the dry ingredients added, you need to fold them into the batter. Do this by hand to prevent over-mixing and use a large metal spoon for best results. Make sure to get right down to the bottom of the bowl. Once no streaks/pockets of flour remain, the batter is ready! It will be quite liquid, but that is how it should be.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then place it into the oven to bake for about 40 minutes. The cake is much more delicate than a typical Victoria Sponge-style cake, so it can be a bit hard to tell when it is done. The skewer method is the most accurate way of telling with this cake: a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the cake should come out clean, or with only a few, moist crumbs. Once that’s the case, the cake is done!

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes only before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Turning the cake out while it is still warm will prevent it from sticking to the tin as it cools- just be careful not to burn yourself on the hot tin! I like to gently pull the cake away from the edges before turning it out, just to help things along.

Once the cake is cool, it’s ready to serve! If you want to add a sugar syrup, I would recommend doing that while the cake is still warm, so that it really soaks into the cake, but all of the other toppings are best added once the cake is cool. It’s lovely plain though- it’s so moist and delicious that it really doesn’t even need anything else!

Final Thoughts

My other two Baking Around the World adventures have been cookie-based, so this was my first attempt at cake in the series. I’m so happy with how it turned out- it’s such a simple recipe, but it has so much history and culture woven into it that it really feels like something quite special. It’s also very delicious- considering that it’s a sponge cake, I was pleasantly surprised by how moist and tender the crumb was. I definitely think it’s one of those cakes that would be great to just have around, in case anyone drops by for coffee- it’s not overly fussy or fancy (though the bundt tin makes it look like it is!) and it’s very easy to make, but it’s a really delicious, afternoon tea treat.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this third instalment of my Baking Around the World series! Have you ever tried meskouta? Let me know in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx

Recipe

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Meskouta

This traditional Moroccan cake is a perfect teatime treat- while there are many flavour variations, this recipe uses orange for a super fresh and zesty sponge.

Cuisine Moroccan

Ingredients

To grease the Bundt tin:

• 1 1/2 tbsp DIY Cake Release (see Note 1).

For the Meskouta

• 300 g caster sugar
• 3 tsp orange zest, finely grated.
• 4 eggs
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 120 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 3/4 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Grease a 10-cup bundt tin with a thin layer of DIY Cake Release and set aside.
• Place the sugar and orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix on low speed until well-combined.
• Add the eggs to the sugar/zest mixture and beat on medium-high speed until the 'ribbon' stage is achieved.
• With the mixer running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until all of it is incorporated. Add the orange juice, as well as the orange blossom water and mix briefly to combine.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then gently fold into the batter by hand, using a large metal spoon. Once combined, pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, or with only a few, moist crumbs.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Notes

1. You can find the recipe for my DIY Cake Release here– it will make it so much easier to get your finished Meskouta out of the tin. If you want to keep this cake dairy-free, substitute the butter in the cake release recipe with shortening. 

Sources Used

African Food Network: Mescouta (Moroccan Yoghurt Cake).

Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine: مسكوتة بللّيمونْ وْ اللّوزْ / كيكة /Meskouta or Maskouta or Keeka/ Moroccan Orange and Almond Cake (Butterless Cake) / Maskouta ou Meskouta ou Kika, Gâteau Marocain à l’Orange et Amandes Sans Beurre!.

Moroccan Olive Grove: Moroccan Orange Olive Oil Cake “Meskouta”.

NYT Cooking: Meskouta (Moroccan Orange Cake).

Taste Atlas: Meskouta.

Taste of Maroc: Moroccan Orange Cake Recipe – Meskouta with Oranges.

The Moroccan Food: Meskouta: Moroccan Cake.

The Spruce Eats: Moroccan Meskouta Orange Cake.