Mary Berrys Orange Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. You will need 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins, greased and bases lined with baking parchment. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl (reserve a little orange zest for decoration) and beat with a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer until combined and smooth.
• Divide evenly between the 2 tins. Bake for 20-25 mins or until well risen, lightly golden and shrinking away from the sides of the tins. After 5 mins, remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the icing, put the butter and icing sugar into a bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange zest.
• Remove the paper from the cakes. Sit 1 cake upside down on a plate. Make the glaze by putting the caster sugar and orange juice into a saucepan, stirring over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil until reduced by half, then brush half on the upside-down cake, using a pastry brush. Spread half the butter icing over the glazed cake. Sit the other cake on top, brush with the remaining glaze, then spread with the remaining butter icing. Scatter with the reserved orange zest. The cake is best eaten on the day, but will keep for up to 3 days in a cool place. It freezes well un-iced or filled.

Steps:

• You will need a deep, round, 8 inch cake tin.
• Lightly grease the cake tin and line the base with a circle of nonstick baking parchment.
• Pre-heat the oven to 325.
• Put all the ingredients for the cake except the pecan nuts into a large mixing bowl and mix well until evenly blended; an electric mixer is best for this but, of course, you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the chopped pecan nuts.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
• Bake for 1-11⁄2 hours, until well risen, golden and springy to the touch.
• Allow to cool slightly, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.
• Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and then fold in the maple syrup.
• Split the cake horizontally into three and fill and cover with the cream, using a small palette knife to smooth it evenly over the top and sides.
• Decorate the top with the shredded orange zest.
• Store in the refrigerator.