Sweet Success: Celebrating young talent

 

Honey and Orange Cake.

Being a Yorkshire lass, born and bred, ‘awesome’ is not a word which frequently forms part of my vocabulary but I could use it to describe the week I spent 15 years ago in San Francisco at the University of California, Berkeley Haas school of Business.

 

It was there I met a baking aficionado from Canada who, like me, was inspired by her grandmother’s cookery. She gave me an interesting recipe for Honey and Orange Cake.

 

I haven’t made this cake for a few years now but I’d been asked to provide a ‘little cake’ for a musical recital event I attended recently. The charity organising the event supports young musicians from all over the world, in particular through the inspiration of Feliz Mendelssohn Barthold. The recital was given by a talented young 18-year old violinist from Albania, whom the charity had been pleased to support. Another ‘awesome’ event where we were entranced by the musicality of the young musician. It seemed right to add my Honey and Orange Cake to the wonderful buffet provided by the hosts.

 

Here’s the recipe :

What you need

6oz (175g) butter or margarine

6 level tbsps honey

2 tbsps castor sugar

Finely grated rind of 2 oranges

3 eggs

8 oz (or 8 heaped tbsps) plain flour (sieved)

3 level tsps baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp orange juice

How to bake

Cream the butter, honey and sugar thoroughly. Add the grated orange rind. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour with each egg. Fold in the remaining flour and orange juice. Put into 2 x 7 inch (18 cm) cake tins lined with greaseproof paper. Bake in a moderate oven Mark 3, 325F, 160-170C for approximately 30 minutes.

 

Meryl says : I decorated my cake with a simple butter cream icing in the middle, dried oranges, a sprig of rosemary and a dusting of icing sugar on top. Everyone said it looked and tasted awesome!

From Canada to San Francisco to London, with all its honey goodness, this recipe has travelled across the continents. Long may its sweet success continue!  This is a shorter version of an article I wrote for Yorkshire Bylines.