Ingredients
SERVES 8-10
FOR CAKE
4 eggs
250–270g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
250–270g golden caster sugar
250–270g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cold milk (optional)
225ml double cream
FOR THE ORANGE AND SAFFRON CURD
Pinch of saffron threads
3 oranges
70g caster sugar
2 whole eggs, plus 2 yolks (4 eggs)
70g unsalted butter
You will need 2 x 20cm sandwich cake tins
METHODS
Step 1
Begin by weighing the eggs in their shells–their weight determines the weights of butter, sugar andflour you will use. They all need to be equal.
Step 2
To brown the butter, put it into a small saucepan over a low heat–choose a pan with a pale interiorif you have it, so it’s easier to see the colour changing. Swirl the pan occasionally and in about 5minutes you’ll see it start to transform from golden and frothy to amber. At that point remove it from the heat and go no further or it will burn. Pour into a heatproof bowl and chill for 30–45minutes or long enough for the butter to firm up again to the consistency of the softened butteryou’d usually use for a sponge cake recipe
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/350F/gas mark 4. Lightly grease the base and sides of both caketins and line their bases with baking parchment.
Step 4
Beat the browned butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy, then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, with an accompanying tablespoon of the flour to prevent curdling. Beat in the vanilla extract, sift in the rest of the flour, then fold it gently into the mix so as not to lose all the lightness you’ve been beating in. You want a mixture that drops easily off the spoon–if it feels a bit thick, you could add a little milk.
Step 5
Divide the mixture evenly between the lined tins, weighing them if you want to make sure you have the same amount in each. Use a knife to level out the mixture and bake for 25–30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in their tins for a couple of minutes, then turnout onto a wire rack to cool completely.Turn the oven down to 110 C fan/130C/250F/gas mark ½
Step 6
While the cakes are baking, make the curd. Put the saffron in a small bowl, pour over 1½ tea spoons hot water and set aside. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from one of the oranges, taking as little of the white pith as possible, and set aside for decoration. Squeeze the juice from all the oranges–you need 150ml. Mix the caster sugar and the whole eggs and yolks in a bowl. Stir in the orange juice, saffron and its infusing water, and a pinch of salt. Melt the butter over a very low heatin a medium saucepan, then stir the orange / egg mix into the melted butter and keep stirring continuously over a low heat for 10–12 minutes until it thickens. Pour it into a heatproof bowl and chill for 1 hour or so to thicken up.
Step 7
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Slice the reserved orange peel into strips roughly 2mm-thick, scatter onto the tray and bake in the cooled oven for 20 minutes until dried and curling. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Whisk the double cream until thick, gently ripple through three-quarters of the curd, then chill until you need it, so it stays firm.
Step 8
Use your most impartial eye to choose which is the better-looking sponge and that will be your top layer. Sit the base layer on a plate, flattest side down. Spoon on two-thirds of the cream and curd filling, then sit your top layer on top, flattest side facing up. Spread the remaining curd-rippled cream on the top, then spoon the remaining curd over. Scatter over the dried orange peel to decorate.
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