The things to remember:
When making an all-in-one sponge cake like this one, add baking powder
to help achieve a lighter result, and never overwork the mixture, just
combine them together until they are smooth.
This is a very convenient method to use if your in a bit of a hurry,
but if you are used to traditional methods of baking you might find that cakes cooked like this are a little more
crumbly and sometimes don’t keep for quite as long, but hey, what does that
matter if you’re going to eat it straight away anyway.
Before you start, set the oven to Gas Mark 4, 350 F, 180 C, 160 Fan.
Grease and line your 2 lb, 900 G,
loaf tin. Brush or wipe round the
inside with a little butter or margarine, then either use a ready made loaf tin
liner or a sheet of greaseproof or parchment paper cut to size, see glossary
for extra information. Line the
inside of the tin with this sheet of paper, pressing it smoothly into
position. Now grease again.
-
Take a pack of butter or margarine (your choice) from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for
about half an hour to soften. -
Using two small pot or Pyrex bowls, break each of your eggs separately into one by tapping
sharply half way along on the top rim until you feel the shell give, hold it
over the bowl in both hands, with your thumbs underneath, prize the shell
apart, letting the egg fall into the bowl, now smell it to ensure that its
fresh, tip it into the other bowl. When all your eggs have been transferred, beat them thoroughly with a fork. -
Remove the rind from the orange using a coarse metal grater with a plate underneath, taking away
just enough of the zest to roughen the skin then tap the grater to knock out
all the fine rind. -
Put 6 oz, 175 g, each of softened butter or margarine.
caster sugar.
and sifted self raising flour, into a
large heavy mixing bowl. - Add 1 tsp, 5 ml, baking powder.
- the finely grated rind of one large orange.
- and three medium-sized eggs.
-
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Using the back of a
metal tablespoon, working from the outside in, turning the bowl as you go. -
gently fold in 4 oz, 100 g, of either milk
or plain chocolate chips. -
Spoon into a greased, lined, large loaf tin, smooth the top surface gently with a flat bladed
palate knife, then bake for 50 to 55 minutes,
until risen, firm to the touch and golden, or when a skewer inserted
into the centre comes out feeling clean. -
Leave in the tin for about 20 minutes, then turn on to a cooling rack to go
completely cold. Do this by
putting the rack on a flat surface,
hold the tin upside down over it in both hands and shake it gently. The cake should slide out easily.
This cake will keep, if wrapped, in an airtight tin or container for two to three days. Don’t forget to remove the greaseproof or parchment paper, before
you eat it.
Slice and enjoy