This cake is a beauty, give it a try & feel free to substitute whatever fruit is in season. It's a basic sponge recipe with the addition of a little blood orange. I used maple syrup instead of the usual caster sugar and spelt flour instead of plain white flour. In doing this I increased the nutritional content a little. Even though I know a slice of cake is never really going to be a health food I always try and sneak in extra goodness where I can.
Ingredients:
- 225g butter, softened
- 200ml maple syrup
- 4 eggs
- 2 blood oranges, juice and zest
- 225g spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
Filling/topping:
- 250ml double cream, whipped
- 75g pistachio nuts, chopped
- 3 fresh figs, sliced
- 1 blood orange, peeled and segmented
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
- Grease and line 2 x 8-inch cake tins.
- Whisk together the butter and maple syrup.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
- Add the blood orange zest and stir through.
- Sift in the spelt flour and the baking powder.
- Add the juice of the blood oranges and mix well.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
- Leave the tins to cool on a wire rack, then remove the cakes from the sandwich tins.
- Lay the first layer on a plate and spread with a layer of whipped cream. Lay some fig and blood orange segments on top of this.
- Place the next layer of cake on top carefully.
- Spread some more whipped cream over the top of this and arrange the remaining fruit on top.