Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a light sugar syrup perfumed with fresh orange and orange blossom water. It is thin enough to soak straight into a sponge layer, and the flavour is floral and citrusy rather than simply sweet, so it lifts a plain butter or vanilla sponge without weighing it down.
I brush it over sponge layers before filling, especially where the cream is delicate — a white chocolate mousse, a light yogurt cream or a plain whipped cream. Because the orange paste and the blossom water are added off the heat, their aroma stays fresh in the finished cake. It keeps well in the fridge, so it is worth making a jar ahead of assembly day.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
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Weight Per Unit: 828
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: jar of soaking syrup, about 800 g
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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B
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500 |
2.1 cups
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Water
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C
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75 |
2.6 ounces
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Orange Paste
Orange paste is boiled and blended oranges. Take a few fresh oranges and wash them first. Then simmer them in water for 1 hour. After they have cooled down, cut them in half and remove the seeds (if using seedless oranges, you can skip this part). Blend the whole lot in to a creamy paste using a food processor. This orange paste is better than anything you can buy from a store and you can also do this with lemons. If you want to make a large amount and store it, you can also blend up to an equal amount (of the total weight of lemons or oranges) sugar, with the lemons or oranges.
fresh
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D
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2.5 |
0.5 teaspoon
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Orange Blossom Water
Orange blossom water is a clear, scented water distilled from bitter orange flowers, used in small amounts as a flavouring in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean baking. It is very strongly perfumed, so it is measured by the teaspoon rather than poured freely.
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827
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Have a clean heatproof jar or bottle with a lid ready, along with a fine sieve if your orange paste is coarse. |
Jar clean and dry |
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2 |
Boil |
Put A and B (caster sugar and water) into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. |
Syrup clear, with no sugar grains left on the base of the pan |
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3 |
Simmer |
Let the syrup simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, skimming off any foam. |
Clear and slightly thickened, still thin and pourable |
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4 |
Cool |
Take the pan off the heat and leave the syrup to cool. |
Just warm to the touch, no longer steaming |
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5 |
Flavour |
Stir in C and D (orange paste and orange blossom water) and mix well. |
Evenly blended; adding these off the heat keeps the aroma fresh |
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6 |
Store |
Pour the syrup into the jar, seal and keep in the fridge. Brush it over sponge layers with a pastry brush just before filling. |
Completely cold before use |
Important Notes
The halved recipe makes about 830 g of syrup — enough to soak the layers of two or three home-sized cakes. Keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge and use within about two weeks; bring it back to room temperature before brushing. Orange blossom water is powerful, so measure it carefully: a little gives perfume, too much tastes soapy. If you like a stronger orange note, add a little more orange paste rather than more blossom water. Brush the syrup on generously for butter sponges, more lightly for open, airy sponges that soak quickly.
Tools & Arrangements
Saucepan, digital scales, measuring spoons, wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, skimmer or small ladle, fine sieve (optional), pastry brush, clean jar or bottle with a lid.
