Figaro’s orange cake
This zesty and sweet orange cake has a soft, velvety crumb and works beautifully with a drizzle of icing and fresh orange segments
SERVES
10
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
20
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
45
MINUTES
Ingredients
110g butter, softened
250g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
zest and juice of 2 oranges
275g plain flour
6 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
50ml milk, at room temperature
200g icing sugar
juice of 1 orange
orange zest, to decorate
toasted flaked almonds, to decorate
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease and flour a 23cm cake tin and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and half the caster sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add two-thirds of the orange zest and then two-thirds of the juice.
Slowly stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Mix on low speed until combined.
In another bowl, whip the egg whites using an electric mixer set on high. When the egg whites begin to get frothy, sprinkle with the remaining caster sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites hold a stiff peak.
Gently stir about one quarter of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden. Cool the cake in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting and letting it cool completely.
To make the icing, whisk together the icing sugar and orange juice until smooth, adding more icing sugar if it’s too thin. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooked cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
Garnish with orange zest and toasted almonds.
This recipe was adapted by Mary Risley of Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco from Opera Lover’s Cookbook by Fancine Segan, published by Harry N. Abrams
