Each month we feature a recipe using local produce in season brought to you in collaboration with
The recipe of the month for February 2025 is Maltese Blood Orange Cake
Blood oranges have a wonderful sweet sharpness which normal oranges seem to lack (although they can be wonderfully sweet too). Enjoy with creme fraiche, cream or ice-cream.
Ingredients
- 100 grams butter softened
- 100 grams castor sugar
- 3 eggs lightly beaten (add in a tiny amount of flour to help the mixture not to curdle)
- 3 oranges (zested and juiced)
- 250 grams ricotta
- 250 grams almond meal
- 250 grams self raising flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 100 grams golden sultanas (optional)
- For the topping:
- 75 grams castor sugar
- 100 ml water
- 1 blood orange zested and juiced
- 1 blood orange sliced thinly
- Icing sugar to decorate
Instructions
- Line a 23 cm round cake tin with baking paper. Grease lightly.
- Preheat the oven to 180oC.
- In a food processor or beater, cream the butter and castor sugar.
- Add in the lightly beaten eggs with a tiny amount of flour and mix further until mixed well.
- Add in the zest of the orange and juice of the blood orange. (Once you zest the oranges, remove the white pith of the oranges and process with a hand blender to produce the juice). Mix well together.
- Gently fold in the ricotta.
- Fold in the mixture the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
- Mix in the sultanas if using.
- Place in the cake tin and bake in the oven for approximately 40 – 45 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer is inserted and comes out clean.
While the cake is baking you can prepare the topping.
- In a saucepan add all of the topping ingredients. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes until a thick syrup forms and the sliced blood orange peel is softened.
- Remove the cake from the oven and take out of the cake tin.
- Drizzle the syrup over the cake and place the orange peels in the centre of the cake.
- Dust with icing sugar.
Recipe courtesy of https://www.taste.com.mt
