orange cake

Here is a recipe taken from the Pastry encyclopedia oh the Italian Pastry Masters Academy, with which I participate in my first contest "the citrus" of the foodblog   ilricettariodicinzia (ended on 24th March). It is the first time I participate in a "contest" that does not concern the sport ... but the food...

Bonne chance! 

The oranges are perfect in this time and I'm lucky to taste oranges from a Sicily biorganic farming, which meets all the stages of ripeness of the fruit, without any human intervention to force the natural time. They are imperfect but excellent in tasting. Here is what counts. Here is the recipe a bit long but simple. I suggest to prepare the sponge cake the day before.

Ingredients:

For the base:

1. 1 chocolate sponge cake with a diameter of 26 cm
2. 1 orange untreated
3. 120 g caster sugar
4. 2 egg whites
5. 8g gelatin sheets
6. Juice of 3 oranges
7. 2 dl cream
8. salt

To decorate

1. 2 oranges
2. 2 dl water
3. 200g caster sugar

1.

1.  Cut the oranges into thin regular slices for decoration. Boil them for one minute in a small saucepan, then cool them with running water.

2. Meanwhile in another saucepan boil water with sugar and dip in it the slices of oranges and simmer over low heat until the syrup will be absorbed completely. (it takes about 45') Remove the orange slices from from syrup with a fork and let cool.

2.

3. Cut the sponge cake into two discs, put the disc, which is more irregular as the base of the cake in a cake ring of 26 cm in diameter. With a sharp knife cut the oranges into slices and then each in half. Arrange the half slices of oranges along the rim of the pan with the round part at the top.

3.

4. 5. In a small saucepan cook sugar with a little water till the temperature of 116°. Beat the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt and add slowly the cooked sugar. Meanwhile soften the gelatin in cool water and then melt it over a water bath. Then amalgamate it to the beaten eggs with a whisk by hand. Add the orange juice to the mixture.  

                  4.                                            5.

                 

  

6. 7. Whip the cream with an electric mixer and incorporate it to the mixture. pour into the mold above the sponge half of the cream, level with a spoon. Lay up the second disc (the lower part of the sponge which has a perfect surface for the top of the cake). 

                   6.                                            7.

                 

8. Cover with the rest of the cream with a spatula. 

8.

9. Decorate the surface with the caramelized orange slices and arrange them in a circle slightly overlapping. Put the cake in the fridge and when ready to serve, remove carefully the ring.   

9.