Tangerine Syrup Cake

It’s the Chinese New Year season and there are loads of tangerines in the house. I’m not very hot on eating them as is. Far too often I get a dry one and it’s just not worth the effort to eat. Give me an orange any time.

Faced with so many tangerines, I made a something festive yet different for another one of those family gatherings. It’s based on Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Syrup Cake recipe. The syrup makes it very moist and the fact that it’s an angmoh cake makes it very popular after a week’s worth of Chinese New Year goodies baddies .

Ingredients:

[cake]
large loaf tin (22 by 11 by 6 cm)
110 g butter
125 g sugar
3 eggs
zest of ½ lemon
zest of 2 tangerines
180 g plain flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
4 tbsp milk

[syrup]
juice of the ½ lemon and 2 tangerines
80 g icing sugar

Method:

1. Butter and line the loaf tin with overproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Cream the butter and sugar, then add in the eggs and zest. Beat well.
3. Stir into the flour the cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
4. Fold the flour mixture into the egg and butter mixture, then add the milk and continue folding in.
5. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake for45 minutes. It’s done when it’s golden and a satay stick comes out clean.
6. Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating the citrus juice and icing sugar in a pan till the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
7. Poke lots of holes in the top of the cake and drench with the syrup. Leave overnight for the syrup to penetrate the cake.
8. Slice and serve.

Makes about 12 slices.

Note: You can use 2 tsp of baking powder instead of the cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda.