Orange blossom and yoghurt cake
An easy, bung-it-in-the-oven type of cake that everyone will love and you will make time and time again because it's so easy. The orange flower water in the syrup is worth buying if you can find it, it gives the cake a delicious Middle Eastern twist. Allow time for the syrup to soak in, for a cake that makes the perfect teatime treat or even dinner-party pud
- 200g self-raising floursifted
- 100g ground almonds
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggsbeaten with a fork
- 250g Greek yoghurt
- 150ml sunflower oil
- 1 lemonzested
orange syrup
- 150ml water
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 orangejuiced and 2 strips of zest
- ½ lemonjuiced
- 5 cardamom podscrushed
- 1 tbsp orange flower waterlook in the king section of larger supermarkets or buy from Middle Eastern shops
- to serve icing sugar and crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal0
- fat0g
- saturates0g
- carbs0g
- sugars0g
- fibre0g
- protein0g
- salt0g
Method
step 1
To make the syrup, put the water, sugar, rind, citrus juices and cardamom into a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Bring to the boil and simmer for 7 minutes. It will thicken and become syrupy as it cools. Cool then strain and add the orange flower water.
step 2
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter or oil a 20cm springform cake tin. Put all the dry ingredients for the cake in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and make a well in the centre. Put all the rest of the ingredients in the well and stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating the wet ingredients. Spoon into the tin and bake for half an hour. A skewer pushed into the middle of the cake should come out clean, if not give it a little longer.
step 3
Leave for 10 minutes to cool in the tin, then turn onto a plate. Pierce all over with a skewer and, while the cake is still warm, slowly pour over the syrup. Leave to soak in. Dust with icing sugar just before serving – the sugar just disappears into the syrupy top otherwise – and serve with crème fraîche or yoghurt.