Dondi's orange cake
Makes: 2 x 900g loaf cakes, each cuts into 8-10 slices
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Dondi's orange cake
Makes: 2 x 900g loaf cakes, each cuts into 8-10 slices
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
338Kcal
Fat
14gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
48gr
Sugars
29gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
4gr
Salt
0.5gr
Mitzie Wilson
Mitzie Wilson is a food writer, baker and our former Acting Food Director. Mitzie has been writing recipes for magazines for over 30 years, and was editor of BBC Good Food and Delicious. Her particular speciality is creating show-stopping bakes.
Mitzie Wilson
Mitzie Wilson is a food writer, baker and our former Acting Food Director. Mitzie has been writing recipes for magazines for over 30 years, and was editor of BBC Good Food and Delicious. Her particular speciality is creating show-stopping bakes.
Ingredients
- 1 x 1-litre carton orange juice
- 250g butter
- 300g granulated sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 400g self-raising flour, sifted
For the drizzle
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar, to sprinkle
Step by step
Get ahead
Boil the orange juice the day before, keep at room temperature. The cakes keep for up to 3 days in a cake tin, or freeze well for up to 1 month.
- Pour the orange juice into a large, wide pan and bring to the boil, then boil for about 20 minutes until reduced to just 300ml. Pour into a jug and cool to room temperature (don't refrigerate as it will make the butter set when mixed with it). Set aside 50ml of the concentrated orange juice for the drizzle.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and line 2 x 900g loaf tins (8 x 19cm base measurement) with baking paper.
- Melt the butter in a pan, pour into a mixing bowl then stir in the sugar and 250ml concentrated orange juice. Using a balloon whisk, gradually beat in the eggs and then the flour until just combined. Divide the mixture between the loaf tins and bake for 40-45 minutes in the centre of the oven until the cakes are golden, risen and a skewer comes out clean.
- Mix the reserved concentrated juice with 50g caster sugar. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, pierce them all over with a skewer and drizzle with the orange drizzle. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then turn out and sprinkle the tops with extra caster sugar.
Chef quote
The recipe for this cake came from Dondi, an Italian deli in Leather Lane, London, more than 30 years ago. At the time, frozen concentrated orange juice was diluted to make 'fresh' juice – and that's the secret to the intense orange flavour. To recreate this, buy an inexpensive carton of orange juice and boil it down until syrupy
