Serves: 10-12
Although blood oranges have a limited season you could still make this cake with a good old normal orange. It may lack a little of the glamour of the blood orange version but just as delicious, nonetheless. I would say you could swap the Aperol for Grand Marnier but I think the bitterness of the Aperol works so well with the sweet creaminess of the pudding. Added to which, the wonderfully vivid colour of the Aperol-soaked trifle sponges would be lost. This is the perfect pudding for a celebration –it feeds at least 10 and you can make it days in advance. The ice cream cake is softly set so you will need to serve the pudding as soon as possible after unmoulding.
Ingredients
- 5 blood oranges
- 5 medium eggs, separated
- 250g icing sugar, sifted
- A few drops of food grade orange oil
- 500ml double cream
- 4 trifle sponges –or 8 sponge fingers
- 100ml Aperol
- To serve edible flowers
Method
- Lightly dampen the inside of a 22cm spring form cake tin and line it with cling film. The water will help the cling stick to the tin.
- Cut down the sides of two of the oranges to remove the skin and white pith. Put the oranges on their sides and thinly slice. Arrange the slices over the base of the tin.
- Finely grate the remaining three oranges then cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Pour the juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Continue to boil until the juice has reduced by half –you should have about 130ml. Leave to cool slightly.
- Put the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and add 200g of the icing sugar. Whisk for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is thick and frothy. With the whisk on, slowly drizzle in the warm orange juice. Add the grated zest and orange oil (if using) and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes.
- Pour the cream into a bowl and whisk to floppy peaks. Carefully fold into the egg mixture. With scrupulously clean whisks, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the remaining icing sugar. Fold the glossy meringue into the egg and cream mixture. Spoon half the mixture into the tin and level out the surface.
- Pour the Aperol into a shallow dish. Cut the trifle sponges in half and dip into the Aperol. Arrange over the tin. Cover with the remaining orange cream. Cover the tin with cling film and place in the freezer overnight.
- To serve, unwrap the cling film and loosen and lift of the sides of the cake tin. Put a serving plate, base side up, on top of the tin and carefully flip over. Remove the base of the tin, decorate with a few edible flowers and serve immediately.
