This cake is easy to prepare but it is time consuming to make. The result is however fantastic.
Ingredients:
Apricot and orange cream:
- 250 gr dried apricot
- 500 ml water
- 180 ml sugar
- 180 ml butter
- 15 ml orange peel
- 3 eggs
Cake:
- 560 ml sifted cake flour
- 375 ml sugar
- 50 ml poppy seeds
- 15 ml baking powder
- 2 ml salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 15 ml orange peel
- 180 ml orange juice
- 125 ml vegetable oil
- 5 ml vanilla
- 9 egg whites
- 5 ml cream of tarter
Icing:
- 125 ml soft butter
- 250 ml sifted icing sugar
- 250 gr soft cream cheese
- Orange peel
- Orange thinly sliced
Method:
Cream:
- Boil the apricot in water for about 30 minutes then discard most of the water, keeping only 60 ml of liquid
- Using a food processor, puree the apricot and liquid, then return the puree to the pot
- Add sugar, butter and orange peel
- Cook over low heat until the butter and sugar are melted. Keep stirring
- Beat the eggs in a bowl and add 250 ml of the orange mixture
- Transfer the eggs and orange mixture to the pot and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and has thickened
- Pour in a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold
Cake:
- In a bowl, mix the flour, 250 ml of sugar, the poppy seeds, baking powder and salt
- Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks, orange peel, orange juice, oil and vanilla. Using a electric mixer, mix the batter for about a minute
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks
- Delicately incorporate the egg whites to the cake batter in three times
- Pour the batter into an angel cake pan and bake 55 minutes at 3250 F
- Once cooked, turn the pan upside down and let cool completely before removing the cake from the pan
- Using a sharp knife (bread knife does a good job), cut the cake in four horizontal sections
- Reserve ¼ of the orange cream in a separate bowl
- Place the bottom slice on a serving plate and cover with 1/3 of the remaining orange cream, then repeat for the second and third sections
- Cover the cake with the forth section
Icing:
- In a bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar until soft and fluffy
- Incorporate the reserved orange cream and mix well
- Spread the icing on the cake
- Make a slit from the edge to the centre of each orange slice
- Twist the orange slice and decorate the top of the cake with them
