QUICK BITE

To avoid a wire rack leaving marks on the top of a sponge, first invert the cake in its tin on to a board covered with

To make the dough, put the flour, orange zest, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with your hand. Work in the yeast. Add the diced butter and rub in until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Lightly beat the eggs with the lukewarm water using a fork, then add to the bowl. Mix together with your hand to make a soft but not sticky dough, adding a little more flour or water as necessary. Turn out on to a lightly floured worktop and knead gently for about 2 minutes just until smooth. Return to the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a slightly warm spot for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

Punch down the risen dough in the bowl, then turn out on to the lightly floured worktop again. Roll out away from you to make a 20cm x 50cm (8in x 20in) rectangle (short sides top and bottom). Place the chilled butter between 2 sheets of floured baking parchment and bash with a rolling pin to make a 40cm x 18cm (16in x 7in) rectangle. Cut this in half to make two 18cm x 20cm (7in x 8in) rectangles. Set one of these on the short side of the dough nearest to you, positioning the butter so one 18cm (7in) edge is right in the middle of the dough’s short side. You’re going to fold this in three as you would a letter. Fold up this third of dough with the butter so it covers the middle third of the dough rectangle. Put the second piece of butter at the top of the dough in the same way, then fold this third down over the centre third to make 3 layers of dough sandwiched with 2 layers of butter. Use a rolling pin to seal the edges, then wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the crème pâtissière filling. Put the sugar, flour, cornflour and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl set on a damp cloth (to prevent wobbling), add 2tbsp of the milk and beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth. Heat the rest of the milk with the orange zest and vanilla in a pan until just boiling. Add the milk mixture to the bowl in a thin, steady stream, stirring constantly. Pour back into the pan and stir over a medium heat until it boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Transfer to a clean heatproof bowl, press clingfilm on the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and leave to cool, then chill until needed.

Unwrap the dough and place it on the floured worktop so the folded edges are on the sides. Roll out to a 20cm x 50cm (8in x 20in) rectangle, then fold in three as before, seal the edges, wrap and chill for 20 minutes – this is your first ‘turn’. Repeat 2 more times, including rolling out to the same dimensions as before, for a total of 3 turns, then chill for 50 minutes.

To shape the spirals, roll out the dough away from you to make a rectangle about 48cm x 36cm (19in x 14¼in) and 5mm (¼in) thick (short sides top and bottom). Trim 1cm (½in) from each side to make a 46cm x 34cm (18in x 13½in) rectangle. Stir the crème pâtissière, then spread it over the dough, leaving a 5cm (2in) border clear along the short side nearest to you. Scatter the raisins over. Roll up the dough like a Swiss roll, starting from the short side farthest away from you. When you reach the edge near you, firmly pinch the dough together to seal. If the roll is very soft, wrap it in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/ gas 5 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut the roll into 18 equal slices and place these cut-side down on to the lined baking sheets, spaced well apart. Cover with clingfilm and leave for 20 minutes to double in size. Brush with beaten egg, then bake for 18-21 minutes until golden and crisp. Transfer the pastries to a wire rack.

Heat the apricot jam with the water until boiling, then brush the mixture over the pastries. Leave to cool. Mix the icing sugar with enough of the orange juice to make a smooth piping consistency. Transfer to the piping bag, if using, snip off the tip and pipe thin zigzags across each pastry. Alternatively you can use a spoon. Leave to set for a few minutes before serving.