Orange Cake... Best cake I've made yet

I love cake... all cakes. I've always been partial to the mud-cakes. Caramel mud-cake, chocolate, white chocolate; you name it.

But lately I've found myself drawn to the world of citrus, and I must say, it has quickly developed into a serious relationship. I may even be in love.

It all started with my very first  Lemon Cake which came out a tasty dream, even with the burnt top from my horrible. sadistic oven.

My most recent attempt at a citrus sponge is this Orange Cake. And for some reason I was so nervous while making it. This probably had something to do with the experiment I was doing with cupcakes last week that failed miserably.

But while the Orange Glaze came out a bit runnier than I had anticipated, the whole process turned out this most delightful, amazing Orange Cake. It is, by far, the best cake I have baked yet.

Enjoy it yourself,

Orange Buttercream and Base of cake

Orange Cake
adapted from "The Primrose Bakery Book" by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas

225g Butter
225g Caster Sugar
The zest of 1 Large Orange
4 Eggs
225g Self-Raising Flour

Buttercream filling
125g Butter
15ml Fresh Orange Juice
150g Icing Sugar
The zest of 1/2 and orange

Glaze
200g Icing Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line or grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins.

2. For the sponge; cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually sift in the flour and beat well, but not for long.

3. Divide the mixture between the two tins and place in the centre of the oven for approx 25 minutes. A skewer should come out of the cake with a few crumbs remaining. Let the cakes cool in the tins until able to remove with bare hands, then cool on a rack.

4. For the buttercream; Beat together the butter, orange juice and half the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the remaining icing sugar and the zest and beat until smooth and creamy.

5. For the glaze; Place the icing sugar into a mixer. Gently pour in the orange juice while the mixer is on a low speed. The glaze should have a liquid consistency.

6. To assemble; Cover the base cake with the orange buttercream then place the second cake on top. Pour the glaze slowly over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Garnish with orange edible glitter.  Place the cake in the fridge for the glaze to set before serving.

Happy Baking!!!