STICKY CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE DRIZZLE LOAF CAKE

This feels like the opportune moment to do a bit of a 180 with this blog, and start publishing my recipes. Which was something I’d intended to do from the start, but I didn’t get to do any baking in Argentina! I’m very glad to have my kitchen back. I’ve made two cakes since arriving home two weeks ago, and both of them have been delicious. The other one still needs a bit of tweaking, but this one I totally nailed the first time, if I do say so myself. It’s gooey and sticky but not heavy, and it feels very decadent – not least because it has two different icings – but it’s not too sweet. If you were making this at Christmas time, you could use a heavier hand with the spices – maybe add some ground cloves and ginger – but for spring, the juicy orangyness is zesty and fresh. Just right. For best results, put on your favourite playlist or set and have a mini rave as you make it. It worked for me.

Use whole milk, and fresh orange zest and juice. If you have whole nutmeg, freshly grated nutmeg will give the best flavour. The spices in this cake don’t taste too strong, they serve to enhance the orange taste. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarb of soda before you start to get the lumps out and make the cake smooth.

The first step is to heat the milk a little with the orange zest and juice and spices. Heat it very gently, as you don’t want it to boil and thicken – just to infuse the milk with the orange and spices to flavour the cake more evenly.

The golden syrup makes the cake extra gooey and sticky when it’s baked, as does using light muscovado sugar instead of regular caster. Beat the butter, sugar and golden syrup well for a few minutes until it becomes creamy and light in colour, otherwise the ingredients won’t mix well together at the end when you add the flour and milk. If the batter seems sloppy or has separated slightly once you’ve added all the ingredients, don’t panic!! This happened to me and I was making this face 😬 but it turned out well – the liquidity of the mixture makes the cake moist.

When the cake comes out of the oven, leave it in the tin to cool a little so that when you pour over the drizzle, it soaks into the cake instead of spilling everywhere. Before you pour on the syrup, stab the cake several times with a knife or skewer so that it can penetrate the cake completely.

Let the glaze soak into the cake while you make the chocolate icing. You only need a little bit of chocolate, butter, and golden syrup to make a lovely fudgy icing that’s not too sugary – this cake is already very rich, so anything like buttercream will be too sickly. This is perfect.

Melt together in a bain marie so the chocolate doesn’t burn, then let the icing cool and thicken slightly before you put it on the cake or it’ll run everywhere.

Et voilà! A beautiful cake that will calm any conflicts that may have arisen from spending too much time with your cohabitants recently. 😉 Happy baking!

For the cake:

• 250ml whole milk
• zest of 1 1/2 oranges
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 150g butter
• 300g light muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten
• 280g plain flour, sifted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 large loaf tin, greased and lined with baking paper or a reusable baking sheet

For the orange syrup:

• 50g caster or granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp fresh orange juice

For the chocolate icing:

• 50g good quality dark chocolate
• 15g butter
• 1 generous tsp golden syrup

To decorate:

• Zest of remaining 1/2 an orange

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the milk, orange zest and juice and spices gently in a small pan over a medium heat. You don’t want it to boil – heat just enough for the orange zest and spices to steep and flavour the milk. Occasionally stir the mixture gently to mix in the spices. Remove from the heat after a couple of minutes and leave to cool completely.
2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer – or, if it’s arm day, a wooden spoon – until it’s soft and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition. Add the golden syrup, then continue to beat until the mixture is creamy and becomes much lighter in colour – about 3 minutes. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated.
3. Add a third of the flour, baking powder and bicarb, and stir in with a metal spoon. Then pour in a third of the cooled milk mixture and stir in. Continue to alternate the two until both are fully incorporated into the mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into the tin and put it in the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the cake is firm and spongy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5. When the cake is done, do not remove from the tin but place the tin onto a wire rack to cool slightly while you make the drizzle. Put the sugar and orange juice in a small pan on a low heat on the hob, and dissolve the sugar, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. It is ready when you can no longer see or feel any sugar grains. Stick a skewer or knife into the cake all over to help the syrup infuse the cake, then pour the syrup over the cake. Allow all of the syrup to soak into the cake before you remove it from the tin and place directly on the wire rack to cool completely.
6. When the cake is cool, make the chocolate icing. Put the chocolate, butter, and golden syrup into a small glass bowl, and set over a pan of simmering water – the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Stir until melted and combined, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, stirring frequently, until the icing is slightly thicker. Pour or spoon over the cake.
7. Decorate with the remaining orange zest and serve liberally to people you like.