LAWRENCE MURPHY: A citrus spin on an old favourite

You might be aware that every Friday at Fat Olives we take it in turns to bake something for the team to eat after lunch service.

It’s the one time in the week that we have five minutes together, chatting about whatever takes our fancy while eating cake and drinking tea.

Last week, even though I was reminded on two occasions, I managed to have nothing ready on Friday morning.

Not knowing what to prepare, I went to our fridges and found some beautiful blood oranges. I love the sweet tart flavour which I thought would work well in a ginger cake.

Adapting a carrot cake recipe using spelt flour instead of wholemeal, the cake got the thumbs up.

INGREDIENTS

2 blood oranges

150ml olive oil

100g brown sugar

75g golden syrup

2 eggs

180g spelt flour

Heaped teaspoon ground ginger

Teaspoon bicarbonate soda

METHOD

1. Zest the oranges into a mixing bowl and whisk with the oil, brown sugar and golden syrup.

2. Whisk in the eggs and the juice of one orange.

3. Add the flour, ginger and bicarb and mix together.

4. Pour into an 18cm lined cake tin and bake for 50 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 170C/gas 3.

5. Test the sponge is cooked by using a skewer which, when inserted in the sponge, will come out clean. If it does not, continue to cook and re-check every five minutes.

6. Mix the icing sugar with the juice of the remaining orange and pour over the cake once it is cooled.

8. Decorate with segments of blood orange if you wish.

Lawrence’s restaurant is Fat Olives, Emsworth. Visitfatolives.co.uk or call 01243 377 914.