Instructions

• Make the cake:
• 01 Place dates, orange rind, orange juice, tea, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the mixture has begun to simmer. Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly.
• 02 Add egg and flour. Stir until just mixed and turn into the prepared tin.
• 03 Bake for 45 minutes or until cake feels cooked when touched lightly. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin.
• 04 When cool ice with candied citrus icing or a simple orange icing. Store in an airtight container.
• Candied Citrus Icing:
• 05 Cut oranges and lemons into thin slices, without peeling them
• 06 Place 250g of sugar in a heavy based frying pan with 80ml of water. Stir over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer.
• 07 Add a ¼ of the sliced fruit to the syrup and leave to simmer 5-10 minutes or until transparent and toffee-like. Lift out the fruit with tongs and cool on a wire rack.
• 08 Add an extra 90g of sugar to the syrup and stir gently to dissolve – the juice from the fruit breaks down the concentrated syrup and the fruit wont candy properly unless you add more sugar.
• 09 Repeat process above until all fruit candied remembering to add 90g of sugar between each batch.
• 10 When all fruit candied put cake on wire wrack over a tray. Pour hot syrup over the cake allowing it to soak in - if syrup too thick thin down with a little orange juice.
• 11 Decorate top of cake with candied fruit slices.
• Simple Orange Icing:
• 12 Combine icing sugar and rind with sufficient orange juice to make a spreadable icing.
• 13 Stir until smooth. Spoon over cooled cake and allow to set.