Bake of the Week: Festive mandarin cake

THIS week’s bake is a simple yet stunning gateau that makes a great centrepiece for a Christmas table.

It’s a simple all-in-one sponge recipe. Make sure you beat it until it’s light and fluffy so that it rises properly.

The recipe uses buttercream, but you could also use fresh cream with orange juice and zest, which works just as well.

Thanks to Princes for this week’s fab bake.

You’ll need:

A little vegetable oil

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

225g caster sugar

225g soft margarine

4 large eggs

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated orange zest

Filling:

200g butter

400g icing sugar

2 tsp grated orange zest

3 tbsp orange juice

2 cans Princes Mandarin Segments, drained

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/gas mark 4/350°F. Lightly grease three 20cm (8in) sandwich tins with vegetable oil and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Add in the remaining cake ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to beat the mixture together for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Share the mixture between the tins and level the tops.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. The cakes should be golden brown. Cool in the tins for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack. Peel away the lining paper and leave to cool completely.

Beat together the butter, icing sugar, orange zest and orange juice until light and creamy. Spoon about one third of this into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and set aside.

Spread half the remaining butter icing over one cake. Reserve eight mandarin segments, then arrange half the remaining segments on to the iced cake. Sandwich the second cake on top and decorate with the remaining icing and mandarin segments. Place third cake on top. Pipe swirls of butter icing around the edge and decorate with the reserved mandarin segments. Add edible stars and dust with icing sugar, if required.

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