Orange and Cardamom Drizzle Cake

For Easter, I decided to make a simple drizzle/glazed loaf cake, as I had totally run out of time to make a more formal fruit cake (which often happens!).   So, this is a really easy last minute cake, and you could decorate it with chickens and eggs, should you so wish.  Orange makes a lovely change from the ubiquitous lemon drizzle, which is synonymous with an unappealing slab of solid sponge, and I added ground cardamom for a bit of warmth to offset the orange.

There's really nothing difficult whatsoever about a loaf cake, just make sure that it doesn't cook so quickly that you get a burst of filling coming out of the top because the edges have cooked too fast.

Since photographing it, this particular one has gone away for the weekend with one of my sons -  I'll just have to make another...

Orange and Cardamom Drizzle Cake 

Orange and Cardamom Drizzle Cake

3 large fresh eggs

6oz/150g sieved self-raising flour or blend 

6oz/150g caster sugar

6oz/150g butter or spread at room temperature

¾ tsp baking powder

Grated zest of 1 orange

10-12 cardamom pods, pods removed, seeds ground in a pestle and mortar

Topping:

2oz/50g granulated sugar

Juice of 1 orange

½ -1 oz icing sugar

2 cardamom pods treated as above

Preheat oven to 180 deg C, and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment.

In a food processor or Kenwood, blend the cake ingredients together and then beat until pale and fluffy.   Shove into the oven and cook for 25-35 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven) until risen and golden brown.  To test, the cake should have come away from the edges slightly, and if you put a (heated) knife or skewer into the middle, it will come out clean.

Mix together the sugars, ground cardamom and orange juice and, as soon as the cake has come out of the oven, stab it with a cocktail stick to make some deep holes and pour the mixture all over it slowly.  Leave in the tin until cool.   If the icing has disappeared, make up some more with icing sugar and water or orange juice (a glacé icing) and drizzle it over the top.