Poppy Seed and Blood Orange Sticky Cake

Poppy Seed and Blood Orange Cake

Preheat the oven to  180 °C, grease and line a 27cm x 15cm loaf tin with parchment paper.

Put the milk and poppy seeds into a small saucepan,over a low heat bring the milk to near  boiling. Turn the heat off and leave the poppy seeds to soak whilst whipping the butter and sugar.

Whip the soft butter, sugar and orange zest until pale in  colour, light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition.

Sift the flour and baking powder and gently fold the flour into the beaten butter mixture. Do not overwork the mix.

Add the blood orange juice to the soaked poppy seeds and milk mixture, then fold this into the cake batter.

Transfer the cake batter to the prepared loaf tin and bake it in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Test if the cake is cooked by inserting a metal skewer, if the skewer comes out clean then the cake is cooked.While the cake is baking, make the blood orange marmalade sauce.

Let the cake cool down for 20 minutes before spooning over the blood orange marmalade.

Blood Orange Marmalade Sauce

In a small sauce pan dissolve the sugar in the orange juice over very low heat, once the sugar dissolves  turn the heat up to  a rolling boil.

Add the julienned orange skin, brush the sides down with a pastry brush dipped in hot water, do not stir whist the marmalade is boiling.

Cook the sauce until thick and glossy, if you have a  sugar thermometer then boil until the sauce reaches 102°C.

Let the sauce cool down slightly before pouring it over the cooled cake.

Serves 10/12

Food Fanatics Tip

Substitute the blood oranges for normal oranges or clementines or satsumas. Store the cake in a airtight container, it seems to get better with age served slightly warm.

Print