Orange Syrup and Ricotta Loaf
Photography Claire Aldous.
A beautiful orange loaf kept moist with ricotta and a generous dousing of Cointreau syrup. Dress up with thinly sliced candied orange and a scattering of spray-free edible flowers.
INGREDIENTS
200 grams butter, very soft but not melted
200 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 x eggs, size 7 (large), lightly beaten
200 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons yoghurt
finely grated zest 2 large oranges
100 grams firm ricotta
Syrup
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup orange juice
½ cup water
1 tablespoon Cointreau, optional
Icing
1 cup icing sugar
4–5 teaspoons orange juice
11 cm x 22 cm, 4-cup capacity loaf tin greased and base lined with baking paper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150°C fan bake.
Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the batter along with the yoghurt and zest and gently beat to combine. Add the ricotta and mix until just incorporated.
Spoon into the tin and smooth the top.
Bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf
Syrup: Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
When the loaf comes out of the oven, spoon the syrup evenly over the top then leave to cool completely in the tin. It’s a lot of syrup but it will eventually be absorbed into the cake as it cools.
To serve: Combine the icing sugar with enough orange juice to make a thick pourable icing.
Spoon into a small plastic bag and tie the top. Snip off a tiny corner and drizzle the icing thickly over the loaf and top with garnishes if desired. Leave to set.
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126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.