This is originally a recipe for lemon cake, and you can make it as lemon cake and it’s very nice. But if you happen to have blood oranges then you can make it as blood orange cake and it’s amazing. It’s pretty easy to make.
Pre heat oven to 180 C.
Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper (baking parchment, wax paper, proper liner, etc.)
Zest a blood orange, or lemon.
Melt 5 ounces (150 g) butter or marge. Pour into 6 ounces (175 g) vanilla sugar in mixing bowl. Beat with whisk. Add two eggs and 4 fluid ounces (125 ml) of milk, beat some more, but not too much. Remove whisk. Gently fold in 6 ounces (still 175 g) of sifted SR flour, a pinch of salt, and the zest.
Bake in the centre of oven for 45 minutes, test with clean knife. Also it will be well risen and golden brown.
Meanwhile, juice two blood oranges or a lemon and a half, you want 2 ounces (50 ml) of juice. Put it in a pan with 5 ounces (150 g) of icing sugar. Stir as the sugar melts, don’t let it boil, leave it to cool while the cake cooks. If made with blood orange this will be surprisingly and unnaturally pink.
When the cake is done, remove from oven and keep it in the tin. Prick it all through with a skewer, or a small knife. Then pour the syrup over it as evenly as you can. Leave to cool, in tin. When it is almost cool — half an hour or so — remove from tin and paper and put on a plate. Pour whatever syrup is on the bottom of the tin onto the top of the cake. Continue to leave to cool, store in airtight tupperware or whatever, if not eaten keeps quite well for about a week.
(This has a lot of sugar in it, and it’s quite sweet. I wouldn’t try it with fake flour which is generally heavier, but it would be fine dairy free, with golden crisco instead of butter/marge.)
