Orange drizzle cake

This is my ‘go to’ bake for friends, colleagues  and family – it’s fruity flavour and sponge drenched in orange juice is perfect with a nice cup of tea and is a definite winner at bake sales !! Also a firm favourite with my colleagues who described it as “dead orangey!!!” Try making it and you will agree. The recipe has been inspired by Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame and is very similar to her lemon drizzle cake. I quite enjoy trying out her recipes and putting my own stamp on it. So all credit goes to Ina for this sumptuous bake.

Ingredients
Plain flour – 11/2 cups
Caster sugar – 1 cup +1/4 cup for drizzle
Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Eggs – 3 large
Orange extract – 1/2 teaspoon (optional but very effective to the overall flavour)
Oil – 1/4 cup (any plain oil like sunflower or a mild cooking olive oil)
Yoghurt – 1 cup ( Greek style works best)
Zest (1 teaspoon) and juice of one orange

Method
Sift flour, baking powder and salt and keep aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and sugar till well combined and airy. Add the extract, orange zest and yoghurt and mix well. To this mixture, fold in the sifted dry ingredients gently followed by the oil. Mix by folding in from the sides and take care not to beat the mixture. Pour into a greased and lined loaf tin and bake at 180 for around fifty minutes or insert a skewer and check if it is done. Cool on a wiring rack, pour over the drizzle and cut into thick slices to serve.

Drizzle
Combine the orange juice, caster sugar with 2 tablespoons of water and heat on a low flame and gently simmer for around five minutes. Once cool, it can either be drizzled over the warm cake or prick holes in the cake and spoon in the drizzle and leave aside to cool completely before slicing the cake. Sprinkle over flaked almonds if required to decorate.