Back in Business with Sticky Citrus Sponge Cake!

served with fresh strawberries and cream

 Is this too good to be true? Is this post actually going to materialize complete with photos? Here is the recipe that I have been trying to put up all week! You will love it and the family will love you for it.

What a cake this is! It can be a pudding too. If it was served warm, it would remind me of treacle stodge as we used to call it at school. Needless to say, it was our favourite pud. Make it now with the last of the season’s oranges: it makes a good-sized cake, moist, sticky on top, very flavoursome indeed and not at all stodgy.

Last week I enjoyed it not once but twice! The first time I made it for a ladies’ lunch and the second time my dear friend Leyla offered it as a dinner party dessert. We had both been seduced by the cover picture of the latest BBC Good Food magazine and quite separately decided to make it for our guests. Here it is:

Ingredients for  Sticky Citrus Sponge Cake

Cuts into 10

4 medium oranges*

6tbsp golden syrup, plus extra to serve, optional

200g/7oz butter, at room temperature plus extra for greasing

200g/7oz soft brown sugar

200g/7ozself-raising flour**

1 tsp baking powder

100g/4oz ground almonds

4 large eggs

Method

·         Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Finely grate the zest from 2 oranges into a large bowl. Cut the peel and pith from all the oranges with a serrated knife, and slice quite thickly.

·         Drizzle the golden syrup evenly over the base of a greased 23cm round cake tin. There is no need to line the tin and it shouldn’t have a loose bottom otherwise the syrup will bubble through. Arrange the best orange slices on top of the syrup and finely chop any that don’t fit.

·         Put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the zest and chopped orange. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Spoon on top of the oranges, spread lightly and make a deep hollow in the centre of the mix with the back of a spoon – this will ensure that the cake rises evenly.

·         Bake for 45-50 mins until firm when pressed. Allow to settle for 5 mins before turning out. Drizzle with golden syrup if you like (I didn’t) and serve with custard or ice cream. I served with strawberries and cream.

Tips

1.       *I used only 2 oranges here – they were obviously not using Turkish oranges in the original recipe!

2.       **I make my  own self-raising flour here by adding ½ tsp BP to 2oz/50g plain flour and sifting together. Works perfectly!

3.       I have the greatest joy in announcing that Golden Syrup so beloved by us Brits is actually available at certain supermarkets here in Istanbul. A bit pricey perhaps as I saw on my recent trip to London that it costs £1 there which seems given away in comparison. But at least we can get it.

4.       And finally re ground almonds which I have mentioned before as being hard to find at least on a consistent basis, a friend has just told me that they are available at Metro. The only trouble is the amount as it comes in industrial quantities. But that is not an insurmountable obstacle ...

and here it is: sticky citrus sponge cake

 Afiyet olsun!

Honey Roast Chicken and Potatoes

Chicken is a great favourite of mine and I know of a great many other people as well. I am therefore always on the look out for new and exciting healthy chicken recipes which I can add to my repertoire. This roast chicken offering is very simple and straightforward in preparation but is absolutely delicious when served.

Ingredients

1 3 or 4lb chicken
1 small orange (unpeeled and shopped in to 8 pieces)
1 tbsp orange blossom honey
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 large potatoes (unpeeled and chopped in to 1" chunks)

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

Put the honey and thyme in to a large bowl or basin and stir well. Add the orange pieces and stir to ensure they are evenly coated then stuff this mixture in to the cavity of the chicken.

Place the chicken on a roasting tray and cover with aluminium foil. Put it in to the oven and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and remove and discard the foil. Add the potato pieces to the tray and stir them around well in the juices which should by now have collected. Return the tray to the oven for a further 45 minutes.

Check the chicken is properly cooked by sticking a metal skewer or fork in to the thickest part of the thigh and ensuring that the juices run clear. It is then simply a matter of carving the bird and serving with your deliciously flavoured roast potatoes and further vegetable of your choice.