Cranberry, orange and yogurt loaf cake

Slow cooker pork and orange casserole

Slow cooker pork and orange casserole

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake - O is for...Orange

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

Oranges became popular in the USA in the 1880s with the expansion of the railway system. This meant that oranges from California and Florida could be transported around the country and the tradition of having fruit in the bottom of your stocking began. This idea was not a new one though and for its origins we have to return back to St. Nicholas. When he was still a lowly Bishop he heard of a poor man with three daughters. They were unable to marry as their father could not afford the marriage dowries. The next night Nicholas decided to find the poor man's house and drop three bags of gold down the chimney. The three daughters had hung their stockings by the fire in order to dry them after being out in the freezing snow all day. The bags of gold happened to land in each of the three daughters' stockings and then turned into balls of gold. In religious icons and paintings St. Nicholas is often pictured with three balls of gold or symbolized by three oranges.

Although the tradition of putting an orange, clementine, tangerine or satsuma in the bottom of a child's stocking may not be so popular today oranges are still used in a symbolic context in Christingle services. Since 1968 The Children's Society has been organizing Christingle church services. The orange given to each child symbolizes the world. The red ribbon round the orange is the blood of Jesus, the four cocktail sticks with sweets and dried fruit the four seasons and the candle or glow stick the light of Christ.

As an alternative Christmas cake for a Clandestine Cake Club meeting I made a Chocolate Orange Bundt cake. The idea was to replicate the flavour of a well-known brand of chocolate oranges that are always on sale at this time of year. If you are a bit unsure of making a Bundt cake do try this one as it is one of the easiest recipes to make.

Equipment: 10-cup/26cm Bundt tin, electric whisk.

Ingredients

6oz (175g) Plain flour

1 tbsp (15ml) Baking powder

6oz (175g) Unsalted butter, softened or baking spread

6oz (175g) Caster sugar

3 Large eggs, beaten

1 tsp (5ml) Orange extract

2 tbsp (30ml) Cocoa

2 tbsp (30ml) Milk

Icing

2½oz (70g) Icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp (15ml) Cocoa

1 tbsp (15ml) Water

½ tsp (2.5ml) Orange extract

Method

1. Prepare the Bundt tin by greasing it and then shaking flour around it. Tip out the excess.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 3.

3. In a large bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the butter, sugar, eggs and orange extract and beat well using an electric whisk.

4. Mix the cocoa and milk together and stir it into the mixture.

5. Spoon the mixture into the tin. Bake for 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

6. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Once cooled mix the icing sugar, cocoa, water and orange together. Beat well until the icing is smooth. Spread over the cake and leave to set.

Eggless Chocolate Orange Muffins

Eggless Chocolate Orange Muffins

I'll start off by telling you these muffins were born through a forgetful accident. It was Maudy Thursday and I had been out all day and by the time I had got the kids to bed it was quite late by the time I had started my baking list. I'd made the dough for the morning's hot cross buns and left it to prove but I also needed to make something to take with me to the football. I won't bore you with my footballing obsession except that Radio WDON provide radio commentary for AFC Wimbledon's match and are partial to a bit of cake. As I was going to one of the away matches I thought they may like a cake donation to keep them going through the trauma that is watching AFC Wimbledon this season.

So I made these muffins and took them out of the tray to cool on a wire rack. After the hot cross buns were baked I started to tidy everything away and that's when I noticed sitting on the side in the egg box was the egg that was meant to go into this recipe. I looked back at the cooling muffins and thought they looked fine. In fact this is the only muffin recipe I have ever made with or without egg that ever comes out looking like muffins. By this time it was too late to go out and get another orange so my husband offered to be first taster. We split one in half and I was very relived to discover they tasted delicious or as the Radio WDON commentator tweeted to me, “deee-lish”. He also told me he loved me - twice. We still haven't met...

These muffins do have a more heavier cake-like texture than other muffins, obviously due to them having no egg in them. However, if you are allergic to eggs, don't have any to hand or simply don't want egg in your recipe these really are a double chocolate delight with a good hit of orange.

Makes 12

Equipment: 12 cup muffin tin/pan, paper or silicone cases.

Ingredients

8oz (225g) Plain flour

2oz (55g) Cocoa powder

1 tbsp (15ml) Baking Powder

4oz (110g) Caster sugar

6 tbsp (90ml) Sunflower oil

7 fl oz (200ml) Milk

Zest and juice of 1 Orange

100g Dark chocolate either a bar smashed up or drops.

Method

1. Line the muffin tin with the cases.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

3. In a large bowl sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder.

4. Quickly add the remaining ingredients and mix together again just combined (i.e do not over mix or beat).

5. Put even amounts of the mixture into each of the cases.

6. Bake for around 15-18 minutes.

7. Once cooked leave to cool on a wire rack.