THE FUTURES ORANGE CAKE Serves 4
ORANGE COUS COUS CAKE with
poached apricots
poached apricots
Ingredients
- Knob of butter
- 1 orange
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 50g (2oz) self-raising flour
- 50g (2oz) caster sugar
- 25g (1oz) Ainsley Harriott Premium Cous Cous
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the poached apricots
- Juice of 3 oranges
- 300g (11oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots
- 25g (1oz) caster sugar
- Greek yoghurt, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4/fan oven 160°C. Generously butter a 20cm (8in) non-stick sandwich tin. Grate the rind from the orange and set aside, then peel removing all of white pith. Cut the peeled orange into thin slices and use to line the base of the greased sandwich tin. Drizzle the honey on top.
Place the flour, sugar and Ainsley Harriott Premium Cous Cous into a food processor and blend until fine. Add the egg, olive oil, baking powder and reserved orange rind and blend again until well combined.
Spoon the cake mixture over the oranges and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
To make the poached apricots, place the apricots and orange juice in a small pan with the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to rest in the tin for a few minutes, then loosen the sides with a palette knife and turn out on to a flat plate.
TO SERVE: When the cake is cooled, cut into slices and arrange on plates with poached apricots and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
OTHER IDEAS: They don't come much simpler than this unusual cake. It's crumb is textured and scented. It's beauty lies in its lack of adornment - a few poached apricots and a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Yet for all its plainness, it has flavour that money can't buy. For a completely different result replace the oranges with lemons or limes; or use a mixture.
