Orange layer cake is a light and fruity citrus sponge with buttery frosting and a sugar glaze.
Ingredients
For the cake you will need: 225g baking spread, 225g self-raising flour, 1 level tablespoons of baking powder, 100g golden caster sugar, 100g brown sugar, 4 large eggs and finely grated zest of 2 oranges.
For the butter icing you will need: 150g butter, softened 300g icing sugar, sifted finely grated zest of 2 oranges.
For the glaze you will need: 25g caster sugar, juice of 2 oranges.
Method
After you’ve collected the necessary ingredients, here is how to prepare the orange layer cake:
1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Prepare 2x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins, greased and bases lined with baking parchment. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl (save some orange zest for decoration) and beat with a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer until combined and smooth.
2. Next, divide evenly between the 2 tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen, lightly golden and shrinking away from the sides of the tins. After 5 minutes, remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
3. Now, let’s move on to the icing. Put the butter and icing sugar into a bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange zest.
4. Start this step with removing the paper from the cakes. Sit 1 cake upside down on a plate. Make the glaze by putting the caster sugar and orange juice into a saucepan, stirring over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil until reduced by half, then brush half on the upside-down cake, using a pastry brush. Spread half the butter icing over the glazed cake. Sit the other cake on top, brush with the remaining glaze, then spread with the remaining butter icing. Scatter with the reserved orange zest. The cake is best eaten on the day, but will keep for up to 3 days in a cool place. It freezes well un-iced or filled.