TIERED ORANGE BLOSSOM AND LIME CAKE
TIERED ORANGE BLOSSOM AND LIME CAKE
Recipe
I love the subtle hint of orange blossom in this lovely cake. Instead of making it a tiered cake, you could use two tins (22cm) and you can easily make it gluten-free by replacing the spelt flour with buckwheat flour.
SERVES 18
FOR THE CAKE
300g butter, softened
300g caster sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
300g ground almonds
75g plain flour or spelt flour
zest and juice of 2 large, unwaxed limes
1 tbsp orange blossom water
FOR THE ICING
150g butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar
125g cream cheese
TOP WITH
roughly chopped pistachios
store bought lemon or lime curd
dried or fresh rose petals
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan bake. Line 1 x 10" (25cm) and 1 x 6" (15cm) tin with baking paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla.
- Gradually fold in the ground almonds and flour, then add the lime zest and juice and the orange blossom water.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake tins.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes. The cakes are ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for around 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and vanilla until smooth and then gradually add the icing sugar. Add the cream cheese little by little and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
- Once the cakes are completely cool, spread a layer of icing onto the large layer and place the small layer directly on top. Apply a neat coating of icing to the top of the cake, and decorate with curd, pistachios and rose petals.
- Store in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.