Erin Fox
It’s Easter weekend and it’s time to rip open the bags of mini eggs for some serious Easter baking. But before you jump straight into helping your parents make a bunny rabbit cake or a chocolate nest, think of ways you can bake that reflects what Easter’s all about.
This light orange sponge inspired by Resurrection Hill is just the cake you need after indulging in chocolate all day. Use any citrus fruit you like for the cake; a combination of orange and grapefruit is surprisingly nice!
Cake
- 275g self-raising flour sifted.
- 2 tsp baking powder.
- 275g butter softened.
- 275g caster sugar.
- Zest of 2 large oranges (keep the juice for the icing).
- 5 large eggs lightly beaten.
- 1 x 8-inch loose-bottomed cake tin.
- 1 x 8-inch hemisphere cake tin or a bowl.
Icing
- 225g unsalted butter.
- 250g icing sugar sifted.
- Juice of 2 large oranges.
- Green food colouring.
- Chocolate fingers for decoration, mini eggs and a small amount of fondant icing.
Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Grease and line the cake tins with baking paper. Beat the butter, sugar and zest together for five minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs with the flour and baking powder and mix until fully incorporated. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning the cakes out onto a wire rack.
To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together for five minutes at a high speed. Add the orange juice and the green food colouring and mix until the colour is even.
Spread some of the buttercream onto the flat cake and then place the domed cake on top. Smooth the remaining buttercream –reserving some for the crosses – all over the cake and then start decorating.
To make the crosses, stick two chocolate finger biscuits together with a little of the buttercream. Repeat until you have three crosses and then place these side by side on top of the cake.
Mould the fondant into a boulder and brush with edible silver dust. Place this at the base of the cake in front of the crosses.
Scatter the mini eggs over the cake and place it on the table at Easter lunch.