Old-fashioned orange cake is a favourite of mine, but I wanted to add to it the warmth and fragrance of some sweet spices, along with some of the beautiful honey I brought back from Kangaroo Island last year.
I also gilded the lily a little by frosting it with a rich orange-blossom buttercream, but it would be just as nice un-iced and served buttered – either warm or cold. This is a slightly heavy, dense cake, but beware – it will dry out if you over-cook it. I’d recommend keeping an eye on it towards the end.
Orange, Honey & Walnut Spice Cake
Ingredients
2 cups SR flour, sifted
pinch of salt
125g butter (softened)
½ cup caster sugar
80g honey
zest of 2 oranges
4 egg yolks
juice of 3 oranges
½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
Frosting
1 cup sifted icing sugar
2 Tbsp soft butter
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange blossom water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 170C (325F). Grease and line a 23cm x 13cm loaf pan.
2. Sift flour, salt and spices together.
3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add orange zest and egg yolks one at a time, then add honey.
4. Fold in sifted flour and spices, alternating with orange juice, adding more juice if batter is too stiff. Stir through the walnuts.
5. Bake in loaf tin 40-45 minutes, checking with a skewer at the 40-minute mark.
6. Cool on wire rack before frosting.
Frosting
Beat all ingredients together in a small bowl until fluffy, then frost the cooled cake.
South Australia-based Amanda McInerney is author of Lambs’ Ears & Honey blog, where you will find more mouth-watering recipes and stories about SA food producers.