Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
What you need
Cake
- 300g Odlums self-raising flour, sifted
- 3 tbsp poppy seeds
- 150g spreadbale margarine or unsalted butter, softened
- 200g caster sugar
- 125ml milk
- 80ml fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
- 3 eggs
- 70g ground almond
Yoghurt Butter Icing
- 50g real Irish butter, softened
- 75g live natural yoghurt, strained*
- 250–300g icing sugar, sifted
- Extra poppy seeds, to decorate
Recipe Steps
- Prepare the tin: Preheat oven to 160°C (fan). Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin (8-inch). This size is essential to get the right height and shape.
- Cream: Beat butter, sugar, zest, and almond meal until pale and creamy.
- Add eggs: Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
- Add liquids: Pour in the milk and orange juice, mix until smooth.
- Fold in: Gently fold through the self-raising flour and poppy seeds.
- Bake: Spoon into the tin, smooth the top, and bake for 50–55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool fully.
- Make the icing: Line a sieve with a clean muslin, J-cloth, or kitchen paper. Add the yoghurt and let it strain for at least 30 minutes until thick.
- Beat the butter and thickened yoghurt until smooth.
- Add icing sugar gradually and beat until pale and creamy.
- Chill for 30 minutes.
- Dollop icing onto the centre of the cooled cake, spread with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle poppy seeds around the edge.
