QUICK FRUIT CAKE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/gas 2½. Grease a 20cm springform tin, line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper and grease again.
  2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy – don’t worry if it looks gritty, as the sugar will dissolve when it’s cooked. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then stir in the vanilla essence.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the ground almonds, polenta, orange zest, orange blossom water and baking powder, then stir this into the cake mix.
  4. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the surface is light brown and the cake is coming away slightly from the sides of the tin.
  5. Remove the tin from the oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a plate. This cake will be quite fragile, so handle carefully as you remove it.
  6. To make the syrup, crush the cardamom pods, then put all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly. Set aside to cool.
  7. Prick the cake all over with a skewer, then brush generously with the syrup. Delicious served with a dollop of crème fraîche or yoghurt and an extra drizzle of syrup.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4. Grease the base and sides of a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
  2. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges. Sprinkle the base of the cake tin with demerara sugar, then arrange the orange slices over the base in a slightly overlapping layer.
  3. Cream the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in 3 heaped tablespoons of marmalade, followed by the eggs.
  4. Fold in the flour, ground almonds and a pinch of sea salt. Finely grate in the zest from the remaining oranges, and squeeze in all the juice and fold through.
  5. Carefully pour the cake batter into the tin. Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden and firm to touch.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes. Very carefully, while it’s still slightly warm, turn out the cake onto a serving plate.
  7. Prick holes in the cake with a skewer. Make a glaze by warming the rest of the marmalade in a pan with a little water. Spoon this over the cake.
  8. Serve warm or at room temperature with yoghurt, cream or ice cream.