Orange and cranberry cake

This is another popular cake that I’ve added to my choir rehearsal repertoire. It’s based on a sultana and orange cake I originally found on the Traditional Home Baking blog, but I gave it my own twist by changing it from a round cake to a tray bake, as well as improving the ingredients — cranberries always trump sultanas for me! I double the recipe to make a larger quantity; that given here will suit either a round 23 cm cake tin, or a square one of around 22 cm. If you have a stand mixer it’s very quick to make, and it keeps well for several days in a tin.

150 g dried cranberries
25 g diced candied orange peel
zest of 1 large orange
3 tbsp fresh orange juice (about half a large orange)
150 g butter, softened
150 g soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
150 grams plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
50 g ground almonds
1 tsp 4-épices or mixed spice (or more to taste)
2 tbsp demerara sugar (optional)

Icing:
5 tbs sifted icing sugar
1-2 tsp orange juice

Put the cranberries in a small bowl with the orange zest and diced peel and add the orange juice. Stir, and give it a quick 2-minute zap in the microwave (or briefly heat it in a pan) and set aside to soak for at least 15 minutes. Grease and line the tin with baking paper.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170C (fan). Put the sugar and soft butter in the mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. This will take a few minutes. Measure out your flour and baking powder, and beat the eggs in a small bowl. Beat the egg into the butter and sugar a little at a time, alternating with a little of the flour to prevent curdling. Once all the egg is in, beat in the remaining flour along with the ground almonds, spice, and vanilla extract. Finally add the fruit with the orange juice and beat briefly to distribute it.

Dollop the mixture into the tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar if using — this will make the top crisp and slightly shiny. Bake for around 30 minutes, testing with a skewer which should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

For the icing, mix together the icing sugar and juice to make a thick but still runny consistency. You can use a piping bag to do the drizzle if you want: I just drip it off a teaspoon. Drizzle once the cake is completely cold, before cutting into squares (if you’re doing the traybake version).