Orange and Passion Fruit Cake

A few weeks back I bought The Boy who Bakes by Edd Kimber after reading good reviews about it. Edd Kimber was the winner of BBC Two series The Great British Bake Off in 2010 and his recipes are testament to why he won. During an afternoon spent flicking through the book I decided this Orange and Passion Fruit Cake was to be the first recipe I tried. This moist but not too sweet orange cake delivered a fresh and tropical taste with it's fragrant passion fruit glaze. Definitely a must bake and one I will make again!

Orange and Passion Fruit Cake

Serves 10

Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
255g caster sugar
zest of 2 large oranges
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
juice of 1 orange

For the passion fruit glaze:
3 passion fruits
125g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180oC/fan 160oC/gas mark 4. Butter a 2lb/900g loaf tin and line with a strip of baking parchment leaving about 2.5cm or so to hang over the edges, to make removing the cake easier. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, and set aside.

Using an electric mixer beat the butter, 225g of the sugar and the zest until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and 3 tbsp orange juice, a little at a time, until fully incorporated.

Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture. Scrape into the prepared tin, then level the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until risen and golden, and a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the syrup by putting the remaining orange juice and sugar into a small pan and simmering for a few minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

Make holes all over the cake using a cocktail stick or skewer and brush with the orange syrup, allowing it to soak into the cake. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the passion fruits and press through a sieve, retaining about 1 tbsp of the seeds. Mix the juice, icing sugar and reserved seeds together until thick and smooth, then pour over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.