Hazel Magill, the Head Chef of the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa in Newcastle, which is part of the Hastings Hotels group, shares her recipe for a delectable orange and cranberry drizzle cake
As a chef in a busy hotel, I’m used to working constantly. Of course, 2020, and Covid-19 had some very different ideas for those of us in the service industry. Like many in our sector, we were in shock when everything was shut down overnight last March.
It has been an emotionally draining time but it has highlighted the need to support each other and to support local. We’re so lucky here in Co Down – we’ve got fabulous produce, great artisan producers, we’re by the sea and surrounded by the mountains with lush green pastures.
During the lockdowns, when you think of factories not producing or items not being available, the importance of supporting our local industry – from fishermen to farmers – cannot be underestimated, especially as we head into Brexit.
We hope to see our customers soon – in the meantime, enjoy this delectable orange and cranberry drizzle cake.
Orange and Cranberry Drizzle Cake
Ingredients
- 420 g White Caster Sugar
- 170 g Butter softened
- 3 Medium Eggs
- Zest of 2 Medium Oranges
- 3 tbs Orange Juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract or paste
- 420 g Self Raising Flour
- 340 g Fresh Cranberries
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 165*c Fan Assisted.
2 Grease and line an 8”/20cm Square loose bottomed baking tin with baking parchment.
3 Beat the butter and sugar together, with an electric mixer, until you reach a smooth marzipan consistency, and the sugar is not so grainy. This may take about 10 mins
4 In a small jug, lightly beat the eggs, orange juice, orange zest and Vanilla Extract together until well combined. This will help distribute the flavours around the cake.
5 Add a tablespoon of flour, to the cake batter. While the mixer is beating, gradually add the beaten egg mixture a little at a time. Beat until the mixture is light and creamy. Scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl at intervals.
6 Add the remaining flour and Cranberries and mix gently until well combined.
You should have a cookie dough consistency which is needed to prevent all the Cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking.
If you still have a little unmixed flour left in the bowl add a little more orange juice and give it another mix.
7 Add the cake batter to your prepared cake tin, spreading and levelling the top.
Bake in the centre of the oven, for about 65 – 70 mins or until baked, testing the centre of the cake until it comes out clean.
8 Covering the top of the cake tin with baking parchment will help prevent burning during baking. If baking the cake in a larger shallow tin, you will need to adjust the baking times.
9 You may find that the top has a light crispy crust and may have some brown speckling. This is due to the large amount of sugar and how smooth your cake batter is after the initial beating.
For further information, visit www.hastingshotels.com.
