Christmas ain’t complete without a lusciously indulgent, fruity, boozy cake. And this one fits the bill perfectly, yet redefines it in a very modern way. The Spiced Orange Cake with Mascarpone and Poached Oranges is as decadent as it gets. And it’s also the last in our series by Shivesh.
Over to him.
This is the season to be jolly and indulge! It is also the time to make fancy and elaborate desserts. This is an orange cake, spiced with all the warm spices to make it fuzzy and festive. I filled the layers with mascarpone frosting and oranges poached in the indulgent Bellissima from Big Banyan. The Bellissima is a brilliant shade of yellow with hues of amber and hints of light green. It feels like liquid sunshine. I think it makes for a great Christmas cake!
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
2 tea-spoons baking powder
Zest of one orange
1 + 1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanila extract
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
For the frosting
1/2 cup lightly beaten mascarpone cheese
1 cup whipped cream
For the poached oranges
10-15 orange segments
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup Bellissima from Big Banyan
1/2 cup sugar
PROCEDURE
Lightly brush your cake pans with oil/ butter and dust with all purpose flour. Line with parchment paper. Pre-heat your over to 180C.
In a medium bowl, combine all purpose flour, orange zest, cinnamon and ginger powder, nutmeg and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil until the mixture becomes light and pale.
Add eggs, one by one, mixing well after each edition. Beat in vanilla extract.
Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, alternating with orange juice. Do not over mix.
Evenly divide the batter into 2 pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre comes out clean
For the frosting, fold in the mascarpone cheese in the whipped cream
To poach the oranges, combine the wine, sugar and orange juice in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add oranges and cook until the syrup becomes thick.
To assemble the cake, frost the layers with mascarpone frosting and pour the poached oranges with the syrup on it.