The unique presentation of this impressive stained glass orange cake also has extraordinary flavours.
Although the recipe may look daunting, it is basically an upside down orange cake with two layers of sponge sandwiching a pastry cream. It must be made at least a day before serving because it needs time for flavours to fully develop.
Ingredients
2 large oranges
400 gr caster sugar
50 ml Grand Marnier
500 ml Water
For the Creme Patissiere
600 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
4 eggs
100 gr caster sugar
60 gr plain flour
350 ml whipping cream
For the Genoise (Sponge)
50 gr butter
4 eggs
100 gr caster sugar
100 gr plain flour
Method
Put water and sugar into a large pan and boil till sugar has dissolved. Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the oranges very thinly and layer them into the water and sugar mixture. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for about two hours over a very low heat. Watch that it doesn’t catch and turn into toffee. Remove from stove, drain the oranges and set aside. Reserve the sugary syrup.
Mix the reserved syrup with the Grand Marnier.
Crème Patissiere
- Put milk into a pan and add vanilla paste, then bring almost to the boil.
- In a bowl, whisk sugar, eggs and flour. Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture and whisk briskly. Return mixture to the pan and being sure to stir continuously, cook over a low heat until thickened.
- Pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic, allow to cool, then put into fridge to set.\
- Whisk the cooled Crème Patissiere till smooth, whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold it into the Crème Patissiere. This can now rest in the fridge.
- Genoise (Sponge)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 24 cm spring form tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. - Melt the butter and allow it to cool off slightly. At high speed, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale in colour.
- Fold half of the flour into the mixture till incorporated and then pour half of the butter around the edge of the mixture.
- Repeat with the remaining flour and butter and then pour this into your prepared tin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, allow to cool, then remove the baking paper.
- If you want to cut down on the preparation time, I guess you could just use a traditional sponge, but this one has a bit of body to it for absorbing the syrup.
- To assemble
Line a rounded 24 cm glass dish with 2 layers of plastic wrap. Slice the cooled cake horizontally so that you have two layers of sponge. Trim the sponge to fit the dish you have. - Arrange the orange slices inside the glass dish, starting in the centre of the bowl. Place the orange slices side by side into the plastic lined dish, filling the gaps where possible and save the remaining orange for the next step.
- Carefully spoon half of the Crème Patissiere into the bowl and gently smooth it over the orange slices which are at the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Place one layer of sponge on top and brush with half of the Grand Marnier syrup.
Finely chop the left over orange and fold it through the remaining Crème Patissiere. - Spread the crème mixture over the soaked sponge and then top with the remaining layer of sponge. Brush with Grand Marnier syrup, leaving a little bit for brushing over the top when serving. I found that there was enough moisture in the glazed orange that it wasn’t really necessary to add more on top, but see how much of the syrup you are left with.
- Cover with a layer of baking paper and place a plate which fits into the top of the bowl as a weight and gently press down onto the cake. Chill overnight.
- To serve, remove the baking paper and invert the bowl onto a serving plate. Carefully remove the layers of plastic and if you have any syrup left over, brush it over the orange layer.
A beautiful dessert worth trying.
