Candied Orange and thyme loaf
Our Candied Orange and thyme loaf will be an easy addition to your repertoire. Just remember to get
ahead by preparing the oranges in advance, this can even be done the day before.
You will need 2 x oblong loaf tins, oiled and lined with baking paper. You can of course halve the
ingredients and make just one cake, but as they freeze so well it is no extra effort to make 2!
- 4 oranges
- 200g granulated sugar
- 200g plain flour
- 60g ground almonds
- 200g caster sugar
- 50g poppy seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 tsp finely chopped orange thyme
(lemon or broad leaf thyme can be used instead) - 4 large eggs
Prepare your oranges:
- Put 2 of the whole oranges in a small pan, cover with water and simmer gently for 1½ hours. Leave to cool.
- Dissolve the granulated sugar in 400ml of water over a low heat.
- Slice the remaining 2 oranges about 1cm thick and add to the sugar syrup.
- Simmer for about 20 minutes until soft, then leave to cool in the syrup.
The cake:
- Preheat your oven to 150°C fan, 170°, Gas 3.
- Roughly chop the whole boiled oranges and remove any seeds. Mince them in a food processor.
- In a large bowl mix together all of the remaining dry ingredients, add the orange pulp and the beaten eggs and mix well.
- Divide the mix between the 2 prepared tins and top with the caramelised orange slices prepared earlier.
- Brush the slices with some of the syrup in the pan and bake for 50 minutes, until a skewer in the centre of the cake emerges clean.
- Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in their tins before removing to cool completely on a rack.
Keep the orange syrup in a small jar — great for adding to cocktails and soft drinks!