Sticky citrus sponge cake
By Sara Buenfeld
Cooking time
Prep: 20 mins Cook: 50 minsSkill level
EasyServings
Cuts into 10A great dessert to feed a crowd at the end of a Sunday lunch - it's like a baked version of a steamed syrup sponge
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Freezable
Nutrition per serving
- kcalories
- 442
- protein
- 8g
- carbs
- 49g
- fat
- 25g
- saturates
- 12g
- fibre
- 2g
- sugar
- 33g
- salt
- 0.73g
Ingredients
- 4 medium oranges
- 6 tbsp golden syrup, plus extra to serve, optional
- 200g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 200g soft brown sugar
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g ground almonds
- 4 large eggs
Buy Ingredients
Buy the ingredients for this recipe now via:
Want to know how this works? Read all about it here.
Method
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Finely grate the zest from 2 oranges into a large bowl. Cut the peel and pith from all the oranges with a serrated knife, and slice quite thickly.
- Drizzle the golden syrup evenly over the base of a greased 23cm round cake tin. There is no need to line the tin and it shouldn’t have a loose bottom otherwise the syrup will bubble through. Arrange the best orange slices on top of the syrup and finely chop any that don’t fit.
- Put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the zest and chopped orange. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Spoon on top of the oranges, spread lightly and make a deep hollow in the centre of the mix with the back of a spoon – this will ensure that the cake rises evenly.
- Bake for 45-50 mins until firm when pressed. Allow to settle for 5 mins before turning out. Drizzle with golden syrup if you like, and serve with custard or ice cream.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2011
Comments, questions and tips
Comments
Just made this today for a halloween party and as per all other comments......does exactly what it says on the tin and it does turn out just like the pic!! Was yummy, did it in a glass tatin dish about 26cm wide. Came out scrummy, like a pudding for sure, was great with custard and creme fraiche. Nowt left so won't get to see what its like a day or two later, Ii will definately do again! Easy peasy...
I love the fact that this recipe includes slices of fresh orange on top of the sponge itself, the textures work really well together! If you are a fan of citrus sponges, we have a lower-fat sponge cake with lemon curd filling that you could also try: http://bit.ly/n4RmyY Helen@Activia
I also used a tatin dish but this seemed to cause problems as the golden syrup all boiled up the side of the cake and then leaked over the edge and then burnt and caused a very smoky kitchen. Any luckily this was at just over half and an hour when the cake seemed cooked anyway. I have only had it warm but I think it is likely to better this way.
I have made this twice now, once with lemons instead of oranges. We preferred the lemon version although it doesn't look as striking. I used a silicon baking case and it turns out beautifully with no sticking. It's a lot of cake for just myself and my husband, but it provides pudding all week when kept in an airtight container. I cut a slice, drizzle a little syrup over, blast it in the microwave for a minute, and then serve it with custard. Yum.