This orange cassata cake is my version of Dan Lepard's recipe. It's deliciously citrusy and tastes of real orange. Despite its grand sounding title, it's an easy bake to make. The orange flavoured sponge is sandwiched with a layer of curd cheese mixed with chunks of chocolate and orange zest. Then the whole thing is topped off with orange icing.
1 ½orangesorganic if you can, unwaxed if not - otherwise scrub in hot soapy water before using
3medium eggs
200gflour(I used half wholemeal spelt and half white)
2tspbaking powder
½tspbicarbonate of soda
25gcustard powder(can substitute cornflour)
75gicing sugar
75gmilk
Cheese Filling
250gcurd cheese(ricotta is traditional but I used quark)
½orangezested
40gdark chocolatechopped (I used Lindt Orange Intense which also contains pieces of orange and almonds)
1tspvanilla extract
15gmixed peelvery finely chopped
Orange Icing
100gicing sugar
3tbsporange juice
Instructions
Sponges
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
125 g unsalted butter, 125 g golden caster sugar
Grate in the zest from the oranges and cream a bit more.
1 ½ oranges
Beat in the eggs one by one, alternating with a spoonful of the flour mixture to avoid curdling.
3 medium eggs
Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb, custard powder and icing sugar. Stir then add the milk and carefully stir again until just mixed.
200 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 25 g custard powder, 75 g icing sugar, 75 g milk
Divide the mixture between two lined 23 cm round cake tins or silicone moulds and bake at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cheese Filling
In a small bowl beat the cheese together with the orange zest.
250 g curd cheese, ½ orange
Stir in the chocolate, vanilla extract and mixed peel.
40 g dark chocolate, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 15 g mixed peel
Spread the mix over one of the cakes, then place the other one on top to create a sandwich.
Orange Icing
Beat the icing sugar with the orange juice until it's soft enough to spread but not so runny it will slide off the cake.
100 g icing sugar, 3 tbsp orange juice
Spread the icing over the top of the sandwich cake and decorate with strands of orange zest or candied orange.
Notes
You can bake the sponges in a 20 cm (8 inch) tin if you prefer. They will be deeper, but because of this they'll take a bit longer to bake.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.