Papadeli orange and cinnamon cake

Papadeli cakes

Orange and cinnamon cake

 People just can’t get enough of this deliciously moist orange cake. It is superb with crème fraiche as a pudding or on its own with a big mug of coffee. The other great thing about it is it uses stale bread – what better use could it be put to! Once tasted, never forgotten!

Ingredients

2oz slightly stale white breadcrumbs.

3-4 oz ground almonds

7 oz caster sugar

1 large teaspoon of baking powder

7fl oz sunflower oil

4 eggs

1 whole lemon’s zest, finely grated

1 whole orange’s zest, finely grated

Citrus syrup

Juice of one whole orange

Juice of one whole lemon

3oz sugar

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

cream or Greek yoghurt

Grease and flour an 8inch tin. Line the base with greaseproof paper.

Mix the sugar, breadcrumbs, almonds and baking powder.

Whisk the oil into the eggs, and add to the dry ingredients.

Pour in the orange and lemon zest.

Spoon the mixture into the tin. Put into a cold oven and turn on the heat to 180 degrees centigrade/350 degrees Fahrenheit or gas mark 4.

Bake for 45-60 minutes (until it’s golden brown).

Cool for about 5 minutes and turn out onto a plate.

To make the citrus syrup, put all the ingredients into a saucepan.  Bring to the boil gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Simmer for 3 minutes.  While the cake is still warm, use a skewer to make holes and pour the syrup into the holes.  Leave for a little and then spoon on excess syrup until it’s all used.

Use the cinnamon stick and clove to decorate the cake.