Name: Suzy Pelta’s Orange cream layer cake for Marie Curie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 12

How to make Orange Cream Layer Cake

This light, fluffy and zesty sponge is perfect for an afternoon tea party. Frost it with a silky orange buttercream or a whipped topping, and garnish with candied orange slices or zest for a show-stopping finish.

At a Glance

Servings:

12

Difficulty:

Medium

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cooking Time:

45 minutes

Suzy Pelta, an expert cake maker, cookbook author, and TV and live event baker has created this recipe for Marie Curie’s Blooming Great Tea Party. This cake is best eaten on the day it is made but will keep for up to five days in an airtight container at room temperature.

What you'll need:

Cake:

475g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g light brown sugar
zest of 4 large oranges
6 large eggs
450g self-raising flour
2 tbsps milk
icing sugar for dusting
slice of orange to decorate

Filling ingredients:

Juice of 2 ½ large oranges
175g caster sugar

Drizzle ingredients:

100g unsalted butter
150g full-fat cream cheese
Zest of 1 orange
500g sifted icing sugar
Juice of ½ an orange

Method:

Method

Preheat your oven to 170°C (gas mark 5).
You will need two 20cm tins, greased and lined.
Cream together the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Add the orange zest and mix until fully combined.
Beat in one egg, followed by some flour, and mix until just incorporated. Repeat until you have used all the eggs and flour.
Pour in the milk and mix.
Spoon the mixture into your prepared cake tins. The cake batter will be very thick, so smooth over the top with a spoon. To be precise, weigh each tin to ensure equal amounts of mixture.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. One cake may bake quicker than the other. It’s important that both cakes are properly baked and firm so they can absorb the drizzle.
Leave to cool in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes while you make the drizzle.
Bring the orange juice and sugar to a gentle boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Leave to simmer.
Once the cakes have been cooling for 15 minutes, remove them from their tins. Decide which cake will be the base and flip that one over.
Using a skewer or piece of dried spaghetti, poke holes in the cakes. Place a tray or plate underneath and pour the drizzle evenly over each cake. Set aside to cool completely while you make the filling.
Beat the butter until light and fluffy, then mix the cream cheese in thoroughly and stir in the orange zest.
Carefully add small amounts of sifted icing sugar, followed by some orange juice. Repeat to use all the icing sugar (you may not need all the orange juice). The frosting should be thick and smooth.
Place one of the cakes on a plate and spoon or pipe frosting on top. Gently push the other cake on top to sandwich together. Some of the frosting may ooze out of the sides but that’s ok! You may want to pipe frosting around the sides to neaten it up.
Dust the top with icing sugar and decorate with a slice of orange.