Every December, I try to come up with a new spin on a festive classic: the Yule Log. My first attempt was my Almond, Rosemary and White Chocolate Yule Log, which featured an almond sponge, filled with an amaretto cream filling, covered in a rosemary-infused white chocolate ganache and sprinkled with toasted almonds.

My second take was my Tirami-Yule Log, which was (you guessed it!) inspired by the flavours of a tiramisu. It was made up of a vanilla sponge, a coffee syrup (spiked with amaretto), mascarpone cream and grated dark chocolate.

This year, I took inspiration from our Christmas Day dessert from last year, which was the Spiced Clementine Cake from the Ginger Pig Christmas Cookbook. The cake is made with ground almonds and a small amount of cinnamon, allspice and cardamom are added to give it a little bit of festive flair. It’s topped with candied orange slices and served with crème fraîche.

Let me introduce you, then, to my Spiced Orange and Almond Yule Log!

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• Making the Spiced Orange & Almond Sponge
• Making the Spiced Orange Syrup
• Making the Crème Fraîche Filling
• Assembling the Yule Log
• Decorating the Yule Log
• Recipe

Ingredients

To make this Spiced Orange and Almond Yule Log, you will need the following ingredients (it’s a bit of a long list, but stay with me!):

• Oranges

To make an orange cake, you need oranges! You’ll need orange zest for the cake and the crème fraîche filling, then you’ll need some freshly squeezed orange juice for the syrup. I recommend using unwaxed oranges for this recipe.

• Caster sugar

I’ve used golden caster sugar throughout this recipe, but you can use white sugar instead, if you prefer.

• Eggs

I always use large eggs for baking.

• Plain flour

Don’t be tempted to use self-raising flour here, or the cake will rise too much!

• Baking powder

A small amount of baking powder is added to the sponge to help it rise the perfect amount, so that it is light and fluffy, but still rollable.

• Ground cardamom

If you can find ready-ground cardamom, I recommend using that (just for ease). If you can’t find it (and it can be hard to source sometimes), you can use the whole pods: just grind the seeds in a mortar and pestle/spice grinder until you have a fine powder.

• Ground cinnamon

A classic festive spice, ground cinnamon is readily available in supermarkets.

• Ground allspice

The final of the three spices added to the cake batter, allspice adds a lovely, festive warmth.

• Ground almonds

Ground almonds add a sweet, nutty flavour to the cake, while also helping to make the sponge super flexible, so it’s easier to roll without getting cracks!

• Fine sea salt

As with most baked goods, a small amount of salt is added to the cake batter to enhance all of the other flavours.

• Almond extract

Just to amp up the almond flavour even more!

• Vanilla extract

You won’t taste the vanilla flavour (only a very small amount is added), but it helps to counteract any potential eggy-ness that can come with this type of foam-based cake.

• Cardamom pod

A whole cardamom pod is bashed and added to the orange syrup to infuse it with some extra festive spice. It’s best to use the whole spice here, rather than the ground stuff, because it keeps the syrup nice and clear.

• Cinnamon stick

Similarly to the cardamom pod, a small cinnamon stick is added to the orange syrup to add even more festive flavour, without affecting the appearance/texture of the syrup.

• Crème fraîche

Crème fraîche is a classic pairing with any orange and almond cake and it makes the perfect filling for this Yule Log: light and fresh, but still rich and delicious.

Making the Spiced Orange & Almond Sponge

The process for making this sponge is super similar to making the almond sponge from my Almond, Rosemary and White Chocolate Yule Log (just with some added orange and spice!).

The first step is to grease and line the tin. You’ll need a 23 x 33cm Swiss roll tin for this recipe. Use a small amount of sunflower (or other flavourless) oil to grease the tin, then line it with baking paper. Set this aside, then preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven, not fan-forced).

Now, it’s time to make the sponge batter. Place the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, then zest the orange directly over the top, so that all of the essential oils fall down into the bowl and you get more flavour from the fruit.

Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to rub the zest into the sugar. This helps to make sure it is evenly distributed and releases even more of the essential oils, so you’ll get even more flavour!

Add the eggs to the orange-ified sugar, then, using the whisk attachment, whisk on high speed until the mixture has become pale, fluffy and tripled in volume.

You want it to be at the ‘ribbon stage’, where you can lift the whisk and draw a figure of eight with the ribbon that falls off it.

While the egg mixture is whisking, prepare the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt together into a separate bowl.

Then whisk in the ground almonds. Set the dry ingredients aside for now.

Once the egg mixture is ready, add both extracts (almond and vanilla) and whisk briefly to incorporate them.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Scattering the ingredients over the top, rather than dumping them all in in one spot, helps to distribute the weight a little more, so you are less likely to deflate all of the air you’ve just whipped into the eggs!

Using a balloon whisk or a large metal spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until no streaks of flour remain. I like to use a whisk for this, because I think it works better, but you can use either utensil. The aim is to retain as much air as possible at this stage.

Pour the sponge batter into the prepared tin and use an offset spatula to spread it out gently into an even layer.

Bake the cake in the middle of the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until it is risen, golden and just about firm to the touch.

While the cake is baking, spread a piece of baking paper onto a clean work surface. Make sure the baking paper is slightly larger than the size of your cake tin. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of caster sugar all over the baking paper (this will help prevent your sponge from sticking to the paper when you roll it up).

Once the cake has come out of the oven, leave it to cool in the tin for 1 minute, then flip it out onto the prepared, sugared baking paper.

Peel the baking paper layer off the bottom of the cake and discard it, then tightly roll up the sponge, along with the baking paper underneath, starting from one of the shorter ends. Doing this while the sponge is still warm means you’re less likely to get any cracks when you roll it back up later!

Set the cake roll aside to cool completely before filling it.

Making the Spiced Orange Syrup

To add even more flavour to the cake, we’ll be soaking it in a homemade, orange syrup.

To make the syrup, place the orange juice, caster sugar, one cardamom pod (give it a little bash with a rolling pin/the flat edge of a knife first, to help it release its flavour!) and one small cinnamon stick into a small saucepan.

Place the pan over a medium-low heat and swirl it gently every now and then, until the sugar dissolves. Leave the syrup over the heat to bubble away gently, until it has reduced by about 1/3 (about 3-5 minutes).

Remove the pan from the heat and strain the syrup through a heatproof sieve to remove the cardamom pod/cinnamon stick. Set the syrup aside while you make the filling.

Making the Crème Fraîche Filling

This filling is SO easy to make! All you need to do is place the crème fraîche into a bowl, along with the orange zest. Just like with the sponge, I like to zest the orange directly over the bowl so that all of the essential oils fall in and give the filling extra flavour.

Then, just stir everything together. That’s it!

Assembling the Yule Log

Once you have your rolled and cooled sponge, orange syrup and zesty crème fraîche ready to go, it’s time to assemble the Yule Log.

Carefully unroll your sponge cake, using the baking paper to help you if needed.

Use a pastry brush to brush the orange syrup all over the surface of the cake.

Then spread the crème fraîche filling right over the surface of the cake, directly on top of the syrup.

Now, it’s time to roll! The cake should want to roll back up, because it cooled in that position, so just go slowly and roll it back up around the filling, making sure the roll is quite tight, as this will give you the most defined swirl.

Once your cake is all rolled back up, breathe a sigh of relief! You’ve done the hard bit! Don’t worry too much if you get any cracks: it won’t affect the flavour in any way (and icing sugar can hide a multitude of sins!).

If you want to, use a dry pastry brush to gently brush off some of the excess caster sugar from the top and sides of the cake (though I don’t particularly mind the extra crunch!).

Transfer your cake to a serving plate, then it’s time to decorate it!

Decorating the Yule Log

I’ve kept the decoration really simple for this Yule Log: just a generous dusting of icing sugar all over and some homemade Candied Orange Peels placed on top, right down the centre.

I’ve just placed the orange peels on top, but do be aware that they are likely to fall off if you need to transport the cake anywhere! If you want to make the decoration more secure, you might want to make some extra crème fraîche filling and pipe it down the centre of the cake, then you can stick the orange peels to the icing so that they don’t move around.

However, you can decorate this cake in any way you would like! If you really want to impress, you might want to cut a small slice off each end of the cake, to reveal the beautiful swirl inside.

Alternatively, you could make extra crème fraîche filling and use it to ice the outside of the log as well as the inside to give the log a snowy effect.

Once decorated, serve your Yule Log immediately, or store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Recipe

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Spiced Orange and Almond Yule Log

A spiced orange and almond sponge, soaked with a spiced orange syrup, swirled with a zesty crème fraîche filling and topped with a dusting of icing sugar and some homemade candied orange peels.

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword almond, Orange, Spiced, yule log

Prep Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Equipment

• 23 x 33cm Swiss roll tin

Ingredients

For the spiced orange and almond sponge:

• Sunflower oil, for greasing (or other, flavourless oil).
• 80 g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling.
• 1 orange, zest only.
• 4 eggs
• 50 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 50 g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 splash vanilla extract

For the spiced orange syrup:

• 1 orange, juice only.
• 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 cardamom pod, bashed.
• 1 small cinnamon stick.

For the crème fraîche filling:

• 300 ml crème fraîche
• 1 orange, zest only.

To decorate:

• Icing sugar, for dusting.
• Candied orange peels, (see Note 1).

Instructions

Make the spiced orange and almond sponge:

• Grease the Swiss roll tin lightly with oil and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional, not fan).
• Place the 80g of sugar and the orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers/the back of a spoon until evenly distributed.
• Add the eggs and whisk on high speed until pale, fluffy and tripled in volume (the 'ribbon stage').
• While the eggs are whisking, sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt together into a separate bowl, then whisk in the ground almonds. Set aside.
• Once the egg mixture has tripled in volume, add the almond and vanilla extract and whisk again briefly to incorporate.
• Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the egg mixture, then use a balloon whisk or large metal spoon to fold them in, until no streaks of flour remain.
• Pour the sponge batter into the prepared tin and use an offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until risen, golden and just firm to the touch.
• While the cake is baking, cut a rectangle of baking paper slightly larger than the Swiss roll tin. Spread it out on a clean work surface, then sprinkle over the remaining 2 tbsp caster sugar.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 1 minute, then flip it out onto the sugared baking paper. Peel the baking paper off the bottom of the cake, then carefully and tightly roll the warm cake up into a log. Leave the rolled cake at room temperature to cool completely.

Make the spiced orange syrup:

• Once the cake has cooled, make the orange syrup. Place all of the ingredients into a small saucepan and set over medium-low heat. Swirl gently as the sugar dissolves, then allow to bubble away until the syrup has reduced by about 1/3.
• Remove the syrup from the heat, then strain it through a heatproof sieve to remove the spices. Set aside while you make the filling.

Make the crème fraîche filling:

• Place the crème fraîche into a bowl, then add the orange zest. Stir until combined.

Assemble the Yule Log:

• Carefully unroll the cooled sponge. Use a pastry brush to brush the syrup all over the surface of the cake.
• Spread the crème fraîche filling over the cake, right on top of the syrup, then carefully roll the cake back up into the log shape. The tighter you are able to roll it, the more defined your swirl will be.
• Transfer the whole roll to a serving platter, then dust with icing sugar. Arrange the candied orange peels on top, right down the centre, then serve.
• The Yule Log is best eaten immediately, but can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Notes

1. You can find my recipe for Candied Orange Peels here.

I recently made a wedding cake for a family friend and, this weekend, I’ve been 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 be sharing them with you now!

Yesterday, I shared the recipe for the main cake: an 8-inch, circular, 4-layer, naked cake, made up of an orange & olive oil sponge, filled with a honey-yoghurt icing and decorated with edible pressed flowers & homemade candied orange peels.

Along with the main cake, I made two rectangular traybake versions of the same cake (same sponge, same icing, same decoration), to ensure that there was plenty of cake to go around! In today’s post, I’m sharing that scaled-up, traybake version of the original recipe, plus some tips/tricks for working with larger cakes (which these traybakes, coming in at 9 x 13 inches inch, definitely are!).

Let’s get into it!

Table of Contents

• The Tin
• Baking the Traybakes
• Assembling the Traybakes
• Decorating the Traybakes
• Tips for Working with Large Cakes
• Recipe

The Tin

For each of the two traybakes, I used this tin from Silverwood: it’s a 9 x 13 x 2 inch, rectangular tin with straight sides and a loose base. This is such a good tin: you get super neat, perfectly straight sides on your finished cake, it’s really easy to get the cake out of it once it’s baked (thanks to the loose base) and the cake cooks really evenly. It is on the pricier side, but, like all Silverwood tins, I think it’s a really good investment: particularly if you’re making a naked cake like this, where it’s really important that the cake itself is super neat and tidy!

The quantities/temperatures in this recipe are specifically formulated for a baking tin of this size. If you want to use a different size/shape tin, you will need to adjust the amounts/temperatures accordingly.

Just like with the circular cake, it’s really important to prepare the tin properly for this recipe, so that the cake doesn’t stick to the tin. This includes:

• Brushing the whole tin with a layer of my DIY Cake Release.
• Lining the bottom of the tin with a rectangle of baking paper.
• Brushing a thin layer of DIY Cake Release on top of the baking paper layer.
• Once the cake comes out of the oven, gently pushing the edges of the cake inwards, towards the centre, to loosen them from the sides of the tin.

I know it sounds a bit overkill, but this cake can be a bit of a menace when it comes to sticking to the tin, so it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Baking the Traybakes

The only differences between the traybake sponges and the circular sponges are a) the tins, b) the ingredient quantities and c) the baking times/temperatures. Otherwise, the whole process of preparing the tins, making the cake batter and checking for the doneness of the cake are exactly the same. Because of this, I won’t be doing a deep-dive into the step-by-step process here. If you want to check out my previous two posts on this particular cake batter for more detailed instructions, you can find them here:

• Mini Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing
• Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cake with Honey-Yoghurt Icing (Wedding Cake Weekend #2)

The traybakes are larger than the original, circular cake. This means that:

• The quantity of cake batter required is larger.
• The baking temperature should be lower.
• The baking time will be longer.

This is standard practice for larger cakes: obviously, they require more cake batter, but also, in order to ensure they are fully cooked through (and don’t burn on the top!), they need to be baked at a lower temperature for a longer time. Therefore, these traybakes are baked at 160°C (conventional oven, not fan) for 55-60 minutes (compared to the smaller, 8-inch, circular layer cake, which is baked at 165°C for 35-40 minutes).

Assembling the Traybakes

Unlike the main cake, which is split into 4, thin layers, I split each of these traybakes into two layers, so I had two separate, 2-layer cakes. You could absolutely split each traybake into 4 layers by splitting each half into half again horizontally, but it can be quite tricky to work with larger cakes than this, so you would need to be very gentle and careful to ensure that you do not break any of the layers. Also, be aware that you will need twice as much icing (because you’ll be filling 2 extra layers!), so plan accordingly. Because my traybakes were for a (very important!) event, I decided that it was easier to go for two thicker layers: you still get plenty of the delicious icing, but it significantly lowers the risk factor involved!

As with the circular cake, I found it easiest to use a cake leveller to split each cake in half (I use this one). Because these cakes have such a large surface area and have such clean, sharp edges, using a cake leveller makes it much easier to cut through the sponges in a perfectly neat, straight line. Having said that, if you’re confident in your ability to cut in straight lines (I am not), you could absolutely use a large, serrated knife instead!

I used the exact same method as the circular cake to fill the traybakes: just piping dollops of the icing all over the surface of the cake. Because these are rectangular cakes, I piped the dollops in rows (as opposed to the concentric circles of the main cake!).

Decorating the Traybakes

While, with the main cake, I added the flower/candied orange peels in a ring around the circumference of the cake, with the traybakes, I opted to just scatter the decorations all over the surface. I actually love how this approach turned out: I think these traybakes ended up looking so pretty, summer-y and fun!

Just like with the main cake, I started with the bigger, more dramatic edible flowers, then worked my way down to the smaller flowers. Once all of the individual flowers were placed, I added the candied orange peels. Finally, I sprinkled over some mixed dried petals, to give the whole thing a colourful, celebratory feel.

Tips for Working with Large Cakes

As cakes go, a 9 x 13 inch one is pretty large and, as a result, can be a little unruly to work with!

Below are a few tips for working with large cakes, to make the process as easy as possible for you:

• Use a cake leveller.

As I mentioned, you can absolutely use a large, serrated knife to split a large cake in half horizontally, as you need to do for this recipe, but the large area does mean that there’s more room for things to go a bit askew! I find it easier to use a cake leveller for this, because you can just slowly walk it through the sponge and let it do all the hard work for you. I use this one.

• Use a cake lifter.

With such a large surface area, there’s a greater potential for cracking/breakages whenever you move the cake around, particularly if you’ve sliced it in half and are working with thinner, more fragile layers. While you’re unlikely to find a cake lifter that can hold the full surface area of this cake, it will still do a better job than your hands at supporting more of the cake at any given time, so it’s worth using one if you have it!

• When holding the cake, let it rest on your forearms.

I know that hands are a cook’s best tools and all that, but I think forearms are underrated. Anything you can do to increase the amount of cake you’re supporting will help prevent breakages, so letting the cake rest on your forearms if you need to transfer it from Point A to Point B is a helpful workaround, particularly if you don’t have a cake lifter.

• Make sure you have a serving plate/board large enough!

This one seems pretty obvious, but the bigger the cake, the bigger the serving plate you’ll need for it! If you can’t find anything big enough, you could always use a chopping board or baking tray (though, if you’re making the cake for an event, I would recommend purchasing a sturdy, professional cake board, like this one!).

Recipe

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Orange & Olive Oil Traybake with Honey-Yoghurt Icing

A traybake-ified version of my Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cake, filled with honey-yoghurt icing and decorated with edible pressed flowers & homemade candied orange peels.

Course Dessert

Keyword Greek yoghurt, Honey, Olive oil, Orange

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 19 minutes minutes

Servings 50 wedding servings

Equipment

• 9 x 13 x 2 inch traybake tin (see Note 1).
• 1 piping bag, fitted with a large, round nozzle
• cake leveller (or a large, serrated knife).

Ingredients

For the tin:

• 2 batches DIY Cake Release (see Note 2).

For the cake:

• 450 g golden caster sugar
• 6 oranges (zest of 6 + 180ml juice (approx. 3-4 oranges).
• 6 eggs
• 180 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 380 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

For the icing:

• 765 g Greek yoghurt (at least 10% fat)(see Note 3).
• 385 ml double cream
• 110 g runny honey (see Note 4).

To decorate:

• Edible pressed flowers (see Note 5).
• Candied orange peels (see Note 6).

Instructions

Prepare the cake tin:

• Brush the cake tin all over with a layer of DIY Cake Release. Line the base of the tin (not the sides) with baking paper, then brush the surface of the paper with a little more Cake Release. Set aside.

Make the orange & olive oil cake:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional oven, not fan).
• Place the caster sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Zest all 6 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 180ml of freshly-squeezed 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.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until the edges of the cake are starting to pull away from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• As soon as the cake comes 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 cake to release from the sides of the tin, making it easier to get it out of the tin once they are cool and ensuring that the cake has neat edges later.
• Allow the cake 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 cake 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 cake is cold and the icing is made, it's time to assemble. Start by dividing the cake into two layers horizontally. 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 rows of icing dollops all over the surface of the first cake layer, making sure the dollops around the perimeter of the cake are neat, as they will be on show.
• Carefully top with the second layer of cake, then repeat the icing process again. Make sure that all of the piping on this layer is neat, because this will be the top of the cake.
• Place the cake into the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes, then arrange the edible flowers and orange peels all over the surface.
• 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 this tin 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.

If you missed yesterday’s post, 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 here on the blog!

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 can’t wait to share them with you!

We’re starting small with today’s post and focusing on the homemade candied orange peel decorations. These can be made way in advance (to minimise the inevitable, last-minute wedding stress) and make such a pretty, twinkle-y (and delicious) cake decoration. Plus, they’re surprisingly easy to make!

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• How to Make Candied Orange Peels
• Storing the Candied Orange Peels
• Recipe

Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients to make these candied orange peels:

• An unwaxed orange

You only need the rind of the orange for this recipe, so feel free to make yourself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice after you’ve made these candied peels! I recommend using an unwaxed orange for this recipe, seeing as you’ll be eating the rind.

• Caster sugar

The orange peels are gently cooked in a sugar syrup to candy them, so you’ll need sugar! It’s best to use caster sugar for this step, because it dissolves more quickly/easily than granulated sugar, but you can choose either golden or white sugar. I prefer to use white caster sugar here, because I think it maintains the vibrant, orange hue of the peels better.

• Water

Does water even count as an ingredient? Who knows… Either way, you need some water to make the sugar syrup.

• Granulated sugar

The candied peels are tossed in granulated sugar to give them a pretty, sparkly appearance and make them easier to handle (read: less sticky). I like to use golden granulated sugar for this, but you can use different types of sugar to achieve different finishes to your candied peels. Granulated sugar gives a sparser, crunchier and more sparkle-y appearance than caster sugar, which provides a denser, crispier coating to the peels. Using golden sugar means there’s less contrast between the shade of the candied peels and the sugar, which gives them a more subtle, twinkle-y vibe, while white sugar will give them a more noticeably ‘frosty’ look. All of this to say: it’s up to you! Pick your favourite, or just use what you have on hand: they’ll taste great whatever!

How to Make Candied Orange Peels

These orange peels are deceptively easy to make and go a long way: you don’t need many to add a touch of citrus decoration to your bakes! Having said that, you can easily scale up this recipe, just use more oranges and increase the amounts of sugar/water proportionally.

To make the candied peels, start by preparing the orange. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel all of the rind off the orange, aiming for long strips. I like to peel the orange vertically, from the stem down, so that all of my strips are a similar length.

Once you have all of your peelings ready, use a sharp knife to cut each one into very thin ribbons.

The next step is to boil the peels in water for a few minutes, to help remove some of the bitterness. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then add the peels and allow them to simmer for 3 minutes.

After the peels have simmered, strain them and rinse them in cold water. While you’re there, rinse out the saucepan, ready for the sugar syrup.

For the sugar syrup, place the caster sugar and the water into the saucepan and set it over medium heat. You don’t want to stir the syrup, because this might make it crystallise. Just let it sit over the heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Once the sugar has dissolved, keep the pan over the heat until the syrup comes to a steady boil.

At this point, add the drained, rinsed peels to the sugar syrup and turn the heat to low.

Allow the peels to cook in the syrup for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, strain the peels through a heatproof sieve, pressing down on them gently with the back of a spoon to remove any excess syrup. You can keep this syrup to use in orange-flavoured drinks, if you want! It will keep in the fridge for a few days days.

Place the golden granulated sugar (or the sugar of your choosing) into a bowl and add the strained, cooked peels.

Use two forks to toss the peels in the sugar, until the individual ribbons have separated out and each peel is well-coated in the sugar.

Remove the peels from the bowl and spread them out on a large baking tray, lined with baking paper. I usually do this with my hands, picking out the peels one at a time (they should be much cooler at this point, but make sure to check first so you don’t burn yourself!), so that I can really separate them out, but, if you’re in a rush, you can shake the whole lot through a clean, dry sieve, to remove all of the excess sugar.

Set the baking tray aside in a cool, dry place overnight, to dry out completely before using to decorate your cake/bake (or just snacking on them, because they’re pretty tasty!).

Storing the Candied Orange Peels

These candied orange peels can be made way in advance, which is perfect for minimising any last-minute event/wedding stress!

After the peels have dried out overnight, just transfer them to an airtight container and store them in a cool, dry place. Like this, they’ll keep for 6-8 weeks, so you can get way ahead with your prep!

Recipe

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Candied Orange Peel

This versatile treat can be enjoyed by itself, dipped in chocolate, chopped & stirred into batters, or used to decorate other bakes!

Course Snack

Keyword Orange

Prep Time 22 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Drying Time 12 hours hours

Total Time 12 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 unwaxed orange
• 100 g white caster sugar (see Note 1).
• 100 ml water
• 50 g golden granulated sugar (see Note 2).

Instructions

• Start by preparing the orange. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the rind off the orange in long strips. Then, use a large, sharp knife to cut the peelings into very thin ribbons.
• Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then add the orange peel strips and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Drain the orange peels through a heatproof sieve and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Set the peels aside and wash out the saucepan.
• Place the white caster sugar and the water into the saucepan. Set over medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve (do not stir at this stage, or the syrup might crystallise).
• Once all of the sugar has dissolved, bring the syrup to a steady boil, then add the drained orange peels to the pan. Turn the heat down to low and cook the peels in the syrup for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, pass the peels through the heatproof sieve to remove the syrup (you can reserve this orange syrup to use in drinks later!).
• Transfer the drained peels to a bowl containing the granulated sugar and toss with two forks until all of the peels are coated.
• Remove the peels from the sugar bowl (you can pick them out individually or use a dry sieve to shake away the excess sugar). The excess sugar can now be discarded (or, like the syrup, used for some orange-y drinks).
• Spread the peels out on a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper, making sure they are in a single layer. Set them aside in a cool, dry place, overnight to dry out, then transfer them to an airtight container and store in a cool, dark place until ready to use/serve. The peels can be stored like this for 6-8 weeks.

Notes

1. I like to use white caster sugar for the syrup, because I find that it helps to preserve the vibrant, orange hue of the peels, but you can use golden caster sugar if that’s what you have on hand. I would recommend using caster sugar for this stage, because it dissolves more quickly/easily than granulated.
2. I like to use golden granulated sugar for tossing the candied peels in, because I think it gives a pretty, twinkle-y effect, but you can use whatever sugar you have on hand/prefer. White sugar will gives a slightly frostier effect, while caster/finer sugar will give a crispier, denser coating. 

Bread and butter pudding is a quintessentially English dessert that… can sound a bit wacky if you’re not used to it. It’s essentially layers of (stale) bread that are spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar and dried fruit, then soaked in a simple custard mixture before being baked until golden and puffed. To the uninitiated, that might not sound great, but I love it! If it helps, you can just think of it as a big, baked version of French Toast— it’s a very similar concept!

Anyway, I wanted to make a festive variation on a traditional bread and butter pudding, so I created this: my Cranberry & Orange Bread and Butter Pudding. The cranberries are soaked in a zesty, orange syrup before being added to the dish, while the custard is lightly spiced with allspice and nutmeg for a super Christmassy, warming flavour. This recipe makes a great dessert, but I also really enjoy having it for breakfast too— it would make a perfect Christmas Eve/Day breakfast/brunch!

Ingredients

To make this festive bread and butter pudding, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Bread

You can use lots of different types of bread for this: a plain, white sliced bread works well, or you can use an enriched loaf, such a challah or brioche, for an extra special pudding! The bread needs to be stale, so, if you can, slice the bread in advance and leave the slices out overnight before making the pudding. In a pinch, though, I find a very gentle toasting can also work!

Some people like to remove the crusts off the bread for this recipe, but I quite like the texture they give. Do whatever works for you!

• Unsalted butter

I prefer using unsalted butter when baking, so that I can control the amount of salt. The butter needs to be softened/at room temperature, so it is spreadable. You can use salted, if that’s what you have, but I would recommend omitting the extra salt if you do this.

• Caster sugar

I prefer using caster sugar, instead of granulated sugar, because it dissolves more easily into the pudding, giving the inner, custard-y section a lovely, smooth texture, while still achieving a crispy outer crust.

• Milk

I like to use a 50:50 ratio of milk to cream for my bread and butter pudding, for the perfect combination of rich and creamy, but also light and fluffy. Whole milk is best, but you can use skimmed/semi-skimmed too, if that’s what you have.

• Cream

Use double cream for the best results.

• Eggs

I always use large eggs.

• Dried cranberries

This is where we start getting festive! I prefer to use unsweetened cranberries, but you can use whatever you would like.

• Orange

You’ll need both the zest and the juice for this recipe.

• Ground allspice

The first of the festive spices in this pudding, allspice lends a gentle warmth to the custard.

• Nutmeg

I prefer to buy nutmeg whole and grate it fresh whenever I need it, rather than buy the ready-ground stuff.

• Salt

Just a little pinch of fine sea salt, to help bring out all of the flavours. If you’re using salted butter, leave this out.

• Vanilla extract

Because this is a custard-based dish, it’s good to add a little vanilla extract to counter any potential egginess.

Method

Bread and butter pudding is so simple to make— it’s essentially just an assembly job! Grease the baking dish with butter (truly, don’t skip this step— It makes the clean up so much easier!), so it’s all ready for you, then get making. You can use any oven-safe dish for this— I’ve used a standard pie dish here, but I often make this recipe in a rectangular baking dish (18 x 27 x 5cm), which works really well too, so use whatever you have that’s roughly that kind of size!

For this recipe, you need to start by soaking the cranberries. Place them into a small saucepan, along with the orange zest and juice, plus a heaped teaspoon of sugar.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir frequently while the sugar melts and the liquid comes to a boil. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

While the cranberries are cooling, you can start preparing the pudding. Spread the stale bread slices thickly on one side with the butter, making sure to use every last bit!

Next, cut the bread slices into whatever shape you would like: triangles (like I’ve done here) are popular, but cubes can also work well!

Place half of the bread slices, butter-side up, into your greased baking dish, trying your best to cover the bottom in an even layer (do a better job than me, if you can). Don’t worry about arranging the bread too nicely at this stage, as there’s another layer of bread to come!

Sprinkle half of the caster sugar evenly over the bread layer, then scatter over all of the cooled, soaked cranberries (along with any orange-y juices). The reason you add all of the dried fruit at this stage is so that it is sandwiched between the two bread layers, so it won’t burn in the oven.

Now you can top up the dish with the remaining bread pieces, again, placing them butter-side up. This will form the top of your pudding, so, if you want it to look extra fancy, arrange your bread pieces in a nice pattern (I went for this starry situation, because it is Christmas, after all).

Evenly sprinkle over the remaining sugar, then set the dish aside while you prepare the custard.

Place the eggs into a bowl.

Whisk the eggs well.

Add the milk and cream, then whisk again until completely incorporated.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug. This removes any stringy bits of egg to ensure that the baked custard will be silky smooth. Don’t skip this step!

Once the custard has been strained, add the ground allspice, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.

Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread in the baking dish, then set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, so that the bread can absorb some of the custard.

You want to make sure the bread slices are submerged in the custard during the resting period, so gently press down on them from time to time, if needed, until the time is up and they have absorbed lots of the delicious custard.

Once the pudding has stood for 30 minutes, you can bake it for 45-55 minutes at 170°C (conventional oven, not fan), until golden and puffed. Allow the pudding to stand for 5 minutes before serving (the pudding will deflate slightly as it cools).

Variations

• Milk or Cream

I like to use a 50:50 ratio of milk to cream in my bread and butter puddings, but you can use any ratio you want! Using 100% cream makes for a really luxurious, rich and heavy dessert, while using 100% milk makes for a lighter, less dense bake. A 50:50 ratio gives you the best of both worlds, but any ratio will work. Often, if I have a small amount of cream to use up, I’ll just put it in a jug, then make it up to 570ml with milk.

• Fruit

I’ve used cranberries here, to make this super seasonal, but you could use any kind of dried fruit you like. If you plan to use larger dried fruits (such as apricots or figs), I’d recommend chopping them finely before adding them to the dish. If you’re an anti-dried fruit kind of person, you can leave them out, or substitute them with chopped nuts or chocolate chips!

• Spices

I’ve included allspice and nutmeg in this bread and butter pudding recipe, to make it extra Christmassy and warming, but you can omit the spices if you’d prefer a fresher, fruitier taste.

Make-Ahead

Bread and butter pudding can be made ahead in a variety of different ways to suit your festive needs:

• Once baked, the pudding can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Simply warm through individual servings in the microwave, or the whole lot in the oven, when you’re ready to serve it (apparently, it is also very delicious cold, but I can’t say I’ve ever tried that!).
• If you want to bake the pudding at the last minute, you can store the unbaked pudding (covered) in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You can bake it cold from the fridge, but it will need a little longer in the oven.

Making the pudding ahead means you can have delicious, festive bread & butter pudding at any time during the holiday season— even on Christmas morning!

Recipe

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Cranberry & Orange Bread and Butter Pudding

A classic bread and butter pudding, turned into a delicious, festive dessert/breakfast with cranberries, fresh orange and warming spices.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword Allspice, Bread and butter pudding, Cranberry, Custard, Nutmeg, Orange

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Resting time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

• 1 oven-safe baking dish (a standard pie dish OR a rectangular baking dish, about 18 x 27 x 5cm)

Ingredients

• 60 g unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1 orange, zest and juice.
• 50 g + 1 heaped tsp caster sugar
• 60 g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing).
• 215 g stale bread, sliced (see Note 1).
• 2 eggs
• 285 ml milk (see Note 2).
• 285 ml double cream (see Note 2).
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1/16 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated.
• 1 splash vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

• Grease the baking dish with butter and set aside. Don't preheat the oven just yet (the bread and butter pudding needs to stand for 30 minutes before baking). The pudding will be baked at 170°C (conventional, not fan).
• Place the cranberries, orange zest and juice, and the heaped tsp of caster sugar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring frequently, bring to the boil, then cook for a further 30 seconds before removing from the heat and setting aside to cool.
• Spread the bread slices thickly with the butter, then cut into your desired shapes.
• Arrange half of the bread pieces, butter-side up, in the greased baking dish. Sprinkle over half of the remaining sugar, along with all of the cooled, soaked cranberries (and any liquid). Arrange the remaining bread pieces on top, butter-side up, sprinkle over the remaining sugar, then set aside while you make the custard.
• For the custard, whisk the eggs together in a bowl until combined. Add the milk and cream, then whisk well. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug, to remove any stringy bits of egg.
• Add the allspice, nutmeg, vanilla and salt to the custard and mix well.
• Pour the custard evenly over the bread, then leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
• Bake the pudding at 170°C for 45-55 minutes, until golden and puffed. Allow the baked pudding to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving warm.

Notes

1. You can use lots of different types of bread for this recipe: plain, white, sliced bread works well, as do enriched breads such as challah and brioche. It needs to be stale to absorb the custard well. You can either leave the crusts on or cut them off— it’s entirely up to you.
2. I use a 50:50 ratio of milk:cream, but you can use any ratio you would like, as long as the total quantity of liquid adds up to 570ml.

Make Ahead

Once baked, the pudding can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Simply reheat to serve. 

You can also store the unbaked pudding (covered) in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bake the pudding from chilled, but be aware that it will likely need a little longer in the oven. 

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.