Orange Cake with Elderflower Poached Apricots
220g soft butter
220g castor sugar
Zest and juice 1 orange
4 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
250g plain flour
150g ground almonds
100g cornmeal (use 100g plain flour if you can’t source)
Method
Set oven to 180oc and line a 23cm baking tin with parchment paper.
Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time. Mix the baking powder, flour, almonds and cornmeal.
Fold half the dry mixture into the butter mixture.
Then half the orange zest and juice.
Fold in the remaining dry and then the remaining zest and juice.
Spoon into cake tin and bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 150oc and bake for a further 20 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Orange syrup
Zest and juice 1 orange
75g castor sugar
Boil until sugar has dissolved and slightly syrupy.
When cake is ready, skewer all over and pour the orange syrup on top.
Elderflower Poached Apricots
8 apricots, halved and stone removed
100g castor sugar
Zest and juice 1 lemon
75ml elderflower cordial
250ml water (or white wine)
Method
Place sugar, lemon zest, juice, cordial and water in a pan. Simmer until sugar dissolves then add apricot halves.
Cover with parchment paper and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow apricots to cool.
Remove apricots when cool and boil syrup until reduced by half.
Cool and add to cooked apricots.
Spoon over the cake.
Serve with whipped cream.
