Serves 8
Ingredients
150g sifted plain flour
300g caster sugar
360ml egg whites (about 9 eggs), at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cream of tartar
Salt
The zest of 2 blood oranges or navel oranges, plus 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
200g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp orange flavoured liqueur, such as Cointreau
Method
1 Heat the oven to 190C/gas 6.
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2 Sieve the flour with 100g of the caster sugar.
3 Whip the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, ½ tsp salt and the orange zest in a mixer bowl on high speed (or a hand mixer at its fastest) just until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the remaining 200g caster sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form, stopping the mixer and scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice.
4 If using a stand mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer. Sift the flour mixture into the egg whites in three additions, folding gently with a large spatula just until blended (no need to fold in the flour completely until the third addition). Be careful not to overfold or the egg whites will deflate.
5 Pour the batter into a 10 x4in [25 x 10cm] ungreased ring pan, preferably with a removable bottom, and smooth the top. Bake for about 40 min, or until the cake is golden and a tester or wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
6 Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert it over a wire rack. Let it cool completely, upside down (still in its tin).
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7 Turn the cake right-side up and run a sharp knife around the outer edge of the pan and then around the centre ring. Invert to release the cake, remove the pan, and run a sharp knife between the bottom of the cake and pan bottom to release. Transfer to a serving plate.
8 Combine the orange juice, icing sugar, liqueur and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and blend with a fork to make a glaze. (Add more orange juice if the glaze is too thick; add more sugar if it is too thin.) Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
Recipes taken from Sweet and Tart by Carla Snyder (Chronicle Books, £12.99)