Delia Smith Orange Cake Food

GREEK ORANGE AND HONEY SYRUP CAKE WITH YOGHURT AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• First, cut the oranges into chunks, removing the pips. Then tip the whole lot - flesh, pith and zest - into a food processor and whiz it to a thick purée. Now all you do is simply put all the other cake ingredients into a large bowl and, provided the butter is really soft, just go in with an electric hand whisk and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. After that, fold in the orange purée, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of the spoon. Now place the cake on the centre shelf of the oven and bake it for an initial 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, or until it is golden brown, springy in the centre and has shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin. Meanwhile, make the syrup. To do this, simply combine the honey and 5 tablespoons water with the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan, place it over a gentle heat, bring it up to simmering point and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes. After that, take the pan off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the orange and lemon juices. Leave the cake aside to cool for 5 minutes, then remove it from the tin to a wire rack to cool, with a large plate underneath. Make a few holes all over it with a skewer before pouring the syrup over it. (It will look like there is far too much, but don't worry, the cake will absorb more than you think, and any that is not absorbed can be poured from the plate back over the cake.) Then, when the cake is absolutely cold, place it on a serving plate, cover it and leave it in a cool place overnight. Just before serving, spread the top of the cake with the Greek yoghurt, sprinkle over the pistachios, drizzle with the honey and serve cut into chunky slices. Note: This cake can also be made to serve 8-10, in an 8 inch (20 cm) tin, using 1 orange, 3 oz (75 g) ground almonds, 4 oz (110 g) each softened butter and sugar, 2 large eggs, 6 oz (175 g) semolina and 3 level teaspoons baking powder. For the syrup, use 5 fl oz (150 ml) honey, 3 tablespoons each water and orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 inch (2.5 cm) cinnamon stick. For the topping, use 7 oz (200g) Greek yoghurt, 1 oz (25 g) pistachios and 1½ tablespoons honey. Bake the cake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature and 25-30 minutes at the lower temperature.

NO-BAKE ORANGE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Crush the biscuits roughly. You can do this by putting them in a plastic food bag and crushing them with a wooden spoon.
• Put the biscuits into a bowl and mix in the melted butter. Put the mixture into a 23cm cheesecake tin, then use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly and press it down in the tin to form the base. Put the tin into the fridge to set. This should take about 30 mins.
• Put the curd or cream cheese, orange zest, mascarpone, sugar and milk into a bowl and mix it well with the wooden spoon.
• Put the cream in a clean bowl and whisk until it is the consistency of thick custard. Add to the orange mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Remove the cheesecake tin from the fridge. Pour the filling over the biscuit base and spread evenly. Decorate with segments of orange and return to the fridge until ready to serve (at least 4 hours or overnight).