Sticky Chocolate and Orange Cake

A special cake recipe courtesy of celebrity chef Phil Vickery for the Freedom Food Celebrity Recipe Collection.

Serves 6-8, prep time 20 mins, cooking time 35-40 mins

Ingredients
2 Freedom Food labelled eggs
175g/6oz unsalted butter
175g/6oz caster sugar
115g/4oz self raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
Zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp icing sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C, fan oven 160C, Gas Mark 4.

Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale, light and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs. Fold in the self raising flour and cocoa powder into the mixture, then stir in 4 tbsp water and the finely grated zest of one orange. Pour mixture into a lined 900g/2lb loaf tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, remove the zest of one orange using a zester and blanch the orange zest in three changes of boiling water (blanching by pouring boiling water on the zest helps preserve the colour and flavour - Ed). Squeeze the juice of the orange into a pan, add 3 tbsp icing sugar and heat until the sugar has dissolved, then add the blanched orange zest and simmer for three minutes. Prick the surface of the cooked sponge, pour over the hot syrup and leave to cool.