Orange Sponge-Flan

This (gluten-free) cake was a favourite of mine when I was a little girl and my Mum used to make it for pudding on a Sunday. It isn't the most exciting of cakes, and might not appeal to those with a really sweet-tooth but I think its ideal for dessert. It was It's taken me a few years but I finally got round to asking my Mum to teach me how to make it and it couldn't be much easier to be honest.

The gluten-free sponge recipe is actually the same as the plain sponge recipe used for my cupcakes.

Ingredients:

100g Margarine/ Soft Butter

100g Caster Sugar

150g Gluten-Free Flour

1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

2 Large Eggs

1 Tablespoon of Milk

 

Filling:
2 Tins of Mandarin Segments (in Juice)

1 Sachet of Quick Gel

Method:

 

As always, start by measuring out the ingredients and pre-heating the oven (180'c).

 

Next, as with the cupcakes, this uses my Mum's 'All-in-One' method, so add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix using an electric mixer.

 

Greased and floured sponge-flan tin

This cakes requires a 'sponge-flan tin' which has a raised middle so that when the cake is turned out it has a raised edge. The tin needs to be greased using butter and then floured to make sure the cake doesn't stick.

 

Once this is done pour in the mixture and leave to rest for a few minutes so that the mixture levels out in the pan. If it still looks un-even after a little while gently tip the tin so that the mixture becomes level.

 

Place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes.

 

When ready (if in doubt insert a clean, sharp, knife vertically into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean the cake in done), leave in the tin until the tin is cool enough to touch - then tip out onto a cooling rack. If the cake doesn't come out easily, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it.  

 

Once the cake has cooled it's time to prepare the topping/filling. (Prompting stories of me stealing the oranges from the trolley at my Nana's house when I was about two!)

 

Start by draining the oranges - making sure you keep the juice as this will be used in the jelly.

 

It is a good idea to keep an eye out for any pips or hard bits of pith whilst draining the oranges so that these don't go into the cake. Separate out enough oranges to go around the edge of the sponge base (where it is raised) for decoration, and then add the remaining oranges into the middle of the base.

 

I then empty the contents of the Quick Jel sachet into a small sauce pan with 200ml of the fresh juice (but check the instructions on the sachet in case they vary).

 

Heat until the liquid starts to boil and then remove from the heat. Stir continuously as the mixture cools to avoid lumps.

 

When the mixture is thick, and beginning to set, pour over the oranges and spread around the top edge. Then add the extra oranges on top of the jelly - any left over oranges can be added to the centre (or eaten).

 

Place in the fridge allowing the jelly to set.

 

Then, once the jelly is set (or just cooled it won't set completely) it's time to eat! Personally I like mine just on its own, but my Mum likes hers with cream, and i guess ice-cream could be quite tasty too!