St Clement’s citrus cake

SERVES 10-12 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

20g butter, softened, to grease 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 medium (240g) orange 1 medium (140g) lemon 1 medium (100g) mandarin 250g butter, softened, extra 1 cup (220g) caster sugar 4 eggs 1⅓ cups (200g) self-raising flour ⅓ cup (55g) fine semolina

SYRUP

2 medium (480g) oranges 2 medium (280g) lemons 2 medium (200g) mandarins ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fanforced). Liberally brush a 22cm (2-litre/ 8-cup capacity) bundt or baba pan with very soft butter. Dust the inside with the plain flour to coat; tap out the excess flour. 2 Finely grate the rind from the fruit. Squeeze the juice from the fruit. Reserve the juices for the Syrup. 3 Beat the extra butter, rinds and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the sifted flour and semolina. Spread the mixture into the prepared cake pan. 4 Bake the cake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand the cake for 5 minutes before turning out onto a piece of baking paper on a wire rack over a tray. 5 SYRUP Meanwhile, using a zesting tool, remove the rind from the oranges and lemons in long thin strips. Squeeze all the fruit. Combine the rinds, juices, reserved juices from the cake and the sugar in a medium saucepan; stir over heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium; cook for 5 minutes. 6 Pour 1½ cups of the hot Syrup over the hot cake. Top with the rind. Stand the cake for at least 30 minutes. 7 Serve the cake, warm or cooled, with the remaining Syrup and whipped cream, if desired.

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.