Heavenly Orange Cake

Ingredients:

315g plain flour, sifted
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
300g granulated sugar
120ml vegetable oil
5 large eggs, separated
180ml orange juice
35g freshly-grated orange zest
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
200g orange marmalade, melted
strips of candied orange peel

Method:

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl cream together the sugar and oil until light and fluffy then add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until well incorporated. Alternately add the flour mix and the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating until smooth. Add the orange zest and beat thoroughly to combine.

Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a clean and dry bowl then beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/4 of the egg white mix into the batter then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Turn the batter into an ungreased 25cm diameter tube pan and smooth the top. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C and bake for about 60 minutes, or until the top is golden an a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly.

When ready, remove from the oven and invert the pan over the neck of a bottle and set aside to cool completely (this stops the cake from collapsing as it cools). When cold, loosen the cake from the mould by running a metal spatula around the sides of the pan. Turn out onto a serving cake then drizzle the top of the cake with the melted marmalade. Arrange the orange peel strips over the top of the cake and set aside until the glaze has set.

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