Orange & Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The first time I ever had a moist orange and poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting was in Australia in the 1990s. I was temping in an office in Sydney at the time, and someone brought in this vast, round creation slathered in pale peach-coloured buttercream. An orange and poppy seed birthday cake for someone.

The layer cake itself was hidden beneath, so I wasn’t expecting the poppy seeds. I’d never seen them in a cake before, and I’d never tasted anything quite like it prior to that day. I’ve since had orange and poppy seed cupcakes and lemon and poppy seed loaf cakes, but my favourite remains the round orange and poppy seed cake that reminds me of that first tasting.

This recipe is therefore true to that, although I cannot recall the decoration. I’ve used cream cheese for my icing, as it gives a nice tang that complements the citrus flavour perfectly. The orange extract is widely available in supermarkets, but do make sure it’s real extract, from the fruit, rather than flavouring – or essence – which is chemically produced.

You could use fresh orange juice here, but such a small quantity would not really make the icing taste of orange. There is no need for baking powder when using self raising flour. Some recipes include sour cream, but it’s not required here as the orange flavoured cream cheese frosting gives the cake tang. Orange and poppy seed cake made with oil is also common, but I prefer to stick to baking margarine.

This makes it a good recipe for Christmas too, as it’s light and refreshing compared to those heavier fruit and chocolate baked goods that are ubiquitous in December.

This easy poppy seed cake recipe serves 8 – 12

Ingredients for orange and poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting

Cake

• Self raising flour, 200g
• Granulated or caster sugar, 200g
• Butter or baking margarine, 200g
• Eggs, 4
• Orange zest, from 1 orange
• Orange extract, 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds, 2 tbsp

Icing

• Icing sugar, 300g
• Cream cheese, 100g
• Orange extract, 1 tsp
• Sugar flowers or sprinkles

Equipment

• Food processor
• Cake tins
• Metal skewer
• Wire rack
• Mixing bowl
• Silicone spatula

How to make this Orange and Poppy Seed Cake recipe

• Put the flour, sugar, baking margarine and eggs into a food processor or electric mixer and process or mix as per your machine’s instructions. I find it takes 15-20 seconds to achieve a smooth mixture.
• After mixing, add the poppy seeds and stir well, then divide the mixture between 2 well greased cake tins – I use 20cm tins.
• Bake at 160 degrees fan for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• After baking, cool the cakes in their tins for around 10 minutes, then remove them carefully and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
• Once completely cooled, mix the icing. Put the cream cheese and orange extract into a large bowl. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating, until the mixture is well combined, thick and smooth.
• Sandwich the cakes together with no more than a third of the icing, then smother the rest over the top.
• Decorate as desired with sugar flowers or sprinkles.

Related recipes:

• Orange and almond loaf cake
• Chocolate orange tiffin
• Lemon and elderflower drizzle cake
• Chocolate orange cheesecake
• Apricot frangipane tart

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