This sounds like a magical combination to me. Personally, I prefer not to use chocolate flavoured batter with orange, I like a madeira style cake with either chocolate chips or chocolate frosting, so this ticks the boxes.
This recipe is from ‘Fast Cakes’ by Mary Berry, which is a book that I highly recommend. We’ve tried a few recipes from this book and the recipe below is a keeper!
Ingredients:
- 175 g soft butter (I use salted)
- 175 g caster sugar
- 175 g self – raising flour
- 3/4 level tsp baking powder (3 quarters of a spoon)
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
For the icing:
- 50 g soft butter (recipe didn’t state salted or unsalted. I normally use unsalted for icing, but either works)
- 100 g icing sugar, sifted
- 25 g cocoa powder, sifted
- 2-3 tbsp orange juice
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C / Fan 170C / Gas 5. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
- Measure all the ingredients for the loaf into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Turn the mixture into the tin and bake in a preheated oven for about 1 hour until well risen and the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
- Leave to cool in the tin then turn out and remove the paper.
- To make the icing, measure the butter, cocoa, orange juiceand icing sugar into a bowl. Beat well to a light, smooth consistency.
- Spread the icing evenly over the top of the loaf and serve in slices.
Some @thecakemum observations/tips:
- The cake took 50 minutes to bake in my oven. Remember each oven is different, so do keep an eye on the cake when baking for the first time.
- I use loaf tin liners. It saves having to grease the tin and cut baking paper. You can pick them up in most discount shops. Just make sure you buy the 2lb or 900g size.
- If the icing doesn’t seem spreadable enough, gradually add some more orange juice, bit by bit. I find the icing needs 3 tbsp of juice.
- It seems like a lot of icing on the loaf, but it is the right amount.
- This loaf would also work well without the icing – orange loaf and a cuppa, sounds good to me.
Happy Baking
De (aka thecakemum)
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