This time of year always gives us an excuse to indulge, and what better treat than a delicious cake to share with the whole family.
We’ve recently got our hands on premium Microplane graters to help cut down on prep time in the kitchen and spend more time at the dinner table.
Microplane blades are the sharpest, superior, photo-etched, long-lasting graters out there. Made in the USA, their ultra sharp blades were first discovered in the 90’s, by a frustrated Canadian housewife, who had had enough of her blunt graters and zesters, tearing and shredding her ingredients. Instead, she picked up her husband’s woodworking tools from his workshop and started grating. She discovered how effortless it was. She managed to get great results as the orange she was zesting fell like flakes. Each flake was precisely cut and not torn, letting the natural aromas unfold and create a great taste.
We’ve put Microplane’s gourmet series graters to the test and created a delicious Orange & Lemon Drizzle Cake. The zesters were so impressive. They grated through the lemon and orange with ease. It made all of the tedious tasks of baking enjoyable, and the eating part… well, let’s just say, the cake did not last long.
WIN! We’re also giving away a set of Microplane gourmet series graters to one lucky winner. To be in with the chance of winning one of these premium graters, enter by following Microplane on Facebook & Twitter, then re-posting and commenting on our Twitter and Facebook, letting us know your favourite seasonal recipe. Competition ends 30th November. Good Luck!
Here’s how you can create our Orange & Lemon Drizzle cake at home.
Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
225g golden caster sugar
4 large free range eggs
1 large orange
200g ground almonds
100g self-raising flour
For the lemon icing
225g icing sugar
1 lemon
Baking Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas 4 (adjust for fan ovens). Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed springform cake tin with a knob of butter, then line the base with greaseproof paper.
Beat the softened butter with 125g of the caster sugar until it’s light & creamy. Then crack in the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in well before adding the next. Finely grate in most of the orange zest, keeping back a few scrapings of the zest in a clingfilm-covered bowl. Fold in the ground almonds and sift in the flour. Mix and gently combine everything, then spoon the cake batter into your prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until risen and lightly golden. To check that the cake is cooked through poke a skewer or cocktail stick into the centre of the sponge. If it comes out clean, it’s done, if not, cook it for a few more minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin while you make the orange syrup.
Put the remaining 100g of caster sugar into a pan and add the juice of the zested orange. Place the pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. While the cake is still hot, poke lots of holes in the top with a cocktail stick and slowly pour the syrup all over it. Once all the syrup has been absorbed, move the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and grate in most of the lemon zest. Keep back a few of the gratings, add them to the bowl of reserved orange zest, and cover again with clingfilm. Squeeze the lemon juice over the icing sugar and mix, adding more juice if needed until you get a good drizzling consistency. Keep aside until the cake has completely cooled, then transfer it to a serving plate and pour the lemony icing all over the top, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle over the reserved orange and lemon zest, and serve.
Microplane premium graters are available at John Lewis and Steamer.
*This is a sponsored post.