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Christingle Cake
Ingredients:
- Orange sponge
- 340g soft butter or margarine, plus extra to grease
- 340g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
- 340g caster sugar
- 6 large free-range eggs
- Zest of two large oranges
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 250g icing sugar
- 80g unsalted butter
- 20 ml milk
- 2 tablespoons Marmalade
Orange sponge
- 500g of ready-to-roll Orange icing
Christingle decorations
- Christingle candle
- 12cm square of Tin foil
- 4 wooden skewers
- 4 x marshmallows
- 4 x fruity pastilles (or other sweets of similar size)
- 4 x dried apricots
- 30cm Diameter cake board (optional)
Special Equipment
- Electric whisk or freestanding electric mixer
- Large hemisphere cake tin
Method
- Get ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F. Grease the Large Hemisphere Cake Pan thoroughly and sprinkle with a light dusting of flour.
- Make the cakes: Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest together with an electric whisk or freestanding electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat the 6 eggs together in a jug, then pour into the butter & sugar mixture bit by bit until well incorporated. Then fold in the flour & vanilla extract gently using a spatula or large metal spoon until you have a smooth batter (be careful not to overmix).
- Bake the cake: Pour the mixture into the cake tin, scraping the bowl with a spatula. Balance the tin on a round cake tin for stability and bake for around 60 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Make the frosting: Beat together the butter and icing sugar until roughly combined, then beat in the milk until the frosting is smooth. Whisk on a high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy then add the marmalade and whisk for another 2 minutes.
- Frost the cake: Using a pallet knife, cover the cake dome with the orange frosting. Roll out the orange icing until about 35cm Diameter. Place onto the cake, gently smooth from the top downwards and trim away any excess icing from the bottom so you are left with an orange dome for your Christingle. Place the cake on your cake board.
- Christingle time!: Wrap a red ribbon around the base of your orange cake. Place the square of foil on the top and push the candle into the centre of the cake, as you would do with a normal Christingle. Poke a marshmallow, pastille and apricot onto each skewer and then stick in each corner of the cake to resemble the cocktail sticks and fruits of a Christingle.
- Serve the cake: You can light the candle and admire your Christingle cake in all its glory before cutting and serving slices to your hungry congregation, family or community group. Enjoy!
Schools can also help The Children’s Society by downloading the Christingle.org/song and singing at their Christingle fundraising services and carol singing events.