Deliciously Fresh Butternut-Orange Cake

Care to whip up a cake and feel like the domestic goddess you are? We’ve got you covered with this super simple yet deliciously different confection.

This moreish cake serves around eight to ten people.

So, this is what you’ll need:

150 ml butter

1 ½ cups castor sugar

3 eggs

125 ml orange juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 ¼ cup self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 ¼ cups fresh butternut, finely grated

½ cup oats

80 ml honey

80 ml extra butter, melted

½ cup orange rind, finely cut into strips

2 tbsp icing sugar for sprinkling

What you’ll need to do:

First make sure you have a decently sized ring mold, around 20 centimetres in diameter.

Now, let’s get down to the fun part – baking!

First, cream the butter and the castor sugar until light and smooth. Beat the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, until all is well mixed. The add the orange juice and the essence. Once everything is nicely blended, put the bowl to one side and move to the dry ingredients.

Sift the dry ingredients (except for the butternut and oats – obviously) in a separate bowl and then whisk them into the liquid mixture until smooth. Now, add the butternut and the oats and mix well.

Use a non-stick spray to coat the ring mould then pour the delectable mixture in. Pop it into the oven on 180⁰ C for 40 to 60 minutes. Take a break, watch an episode of your favourite series, then once ready, remove the cake from the oven and set aside. PS. if you aren’t sure whether the cake is ready yet, simply use a skewer – if it comes out clean with no mixture on it, then the cake is ready.

Now, heat the honey, extra butter and the orange rind in a small saucepan.Once this is ready put it through a sieve to remove the rind (but don’t throw it away). Use your handy skewer again, but this time to poke holes into the cake and pour the hot honey butter sauce over the cake, while it is still in the ring.

Allow your work of art to rest for about 20 minutes. Then flip the ring over onto a serving dish to reveal the cake in all it’s glory. Finally, garnish with the leftover rind (from the sieve), sprinkle the icing sugar, and voilà, you cake is ready to be served!