Easter orange cake with lemon icing recipe

The whole family are going to love sharing this delicious Easter orange cake with lemon icing this Easter.

This Easter orange cake with lemon icing is a light, fresh-tasting alternative to simnel cake at Easter. The orange sponge cake is really easy to make and kids love getting involved in decorating the top - perfect for a bake during the school holidays. The lemon icing isn't difficult to make either, so you won't be standing in the kitchen all day! It will take about 25 mins to prep this cake and only 30 mins to bake. We love serving this plain and simple orange cake just with a mug of tea to wash it down. The lemon icing does all the talking! If you want to turn this Easter orange cake with lemon icing recipe into an Easter dessert instead, leave the icing off and serve the soft citrus sponge with some warm custard.

Ingredients

For this Easter recipe (opens in new tab) you will need:

• 150g (5oz) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 150g (5oz) caster sugar
• 200g (7oz) self-raising flour
• 3 eggs
• Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange

For the icing:

• Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon (about 2tbsp juice)
• 175g (6oz) icing sugar, sifted
• Easter decorations such as chicks and mini eggs

You'll also need:

• 20cm (8in) diameter square cake tin

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Grease and base-line the cake tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, caster sugar, flour and eggs until light and creamy. Stir in the orange zest and juice then spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level the top. Bake for about 30 mintues or until risen and golden and feel firm to the touch. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, then take it out of the tin, peel off the paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
3. To make the icing, keep a little lemon zest back for the decoration, then beat the icing sugar, lemon juice and the rest of the zest together to make a smooth, runny icing. Using a palette knife, spread the icing over the top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides. Leave to set. Scatter over the reserved lemon zest and decorate with Easter decorations.

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