As the weather gets cooler, the season for citrus fruits is fast approaching, offering a fantastic and fresh respite from the often heavier and more bland winter seasonal foods. I've made the most of these zesty fruits in the following recipes with citrus-themed treats that can be enjoyed for several months to come, bringing some much needed sunshine to the darker months.
Orange, lime and raspberry cake with zesty cream-cheese icing and orange-lime curd (gf)
This is one of my go-to easy recipes that’s naturally gluten-free and, joyfully, can all be mixed in one blender. It lasts a good week in the fridge and makes a delicious cake with or without the icing and orange-lime curd. If you decide not to ice this cake, it’s delicious served warm with cream or ice-cream and store-bought lemon curd.
Or even drizzled with ginger-citrus cordial.
Ingredients
2 oranges (or 5x mandarins)
2 limes
1 ¼ cups caster sugar (250g)
2 ½ cups ground almonds (250g)
1 tsp baking powder
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup frozen raspberries
Instructions
1. First, wash and dry your oranges and limes then place in a saucepan filed with water over a medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, until the skin of both fruits is soft. Drain and allow to cool.
2. Heat the oven to 160°C and butter and line a 20cm spring form cake tin.
3. In a blender or food processor, blend the citrus until smooth then add the remaining ingredients (except raspberries), blending until fully combined. You may need to scrape down several times.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin then dot with the frozen berries, pushing them into the batter if necessary. Bake for about 50 minutes until set in the middle. Allow to cool fully in the tin before turning out.
5. Once fully cooled, top with zesty cream-cheese icing, orange and lime curd, freeze dried raspberries and decorate with edible flowers.
Orange and lime curd
Ingredients
Zest and juice of 3 oranges
Zest and juice of 3 limes
1 cup of white sugar
4 large eggs
115g cold butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
1. Zest the oranges and limes first, then juice them using a citrus juicer or squeeze by hand.
2. In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, orange zest, lime zest, and sugar. Mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then, add the beaten eggs to the juice and sugar mixture, whisking continuously until well combined.
4. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take about 10-15 minutes. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
5. Once the curd has thickened, remove it from the heat. Stir in the butter pieces a few at a time, ensuring each piece is fully melted and incorporated before adding the next.
6. For an extra smooth curd, you can strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the zest and any pieces of cooked egg.
7. Pour the curd into clean jars or containers. Allow it to cool to room temperature before covering and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Zesty cream-cheese icing
Ingredients
250g cream cheese, softened
100g softened butter
3 cups (375g) sifted icing sugar
Zest of 2 limes
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Ensure the cream cheese and butter are both softened to room temperature.
2. In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
3. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar, beating on low speed until well combined and creamy. Increase speed and whip for 3-5 minutes until light and airy. For an extra smooth icing, replace the whisk attachment with paddle attachment and beat at a low speed for another 5 minutes.
4. Fold in the lime zest and vanilla extract until evenly distributed then ice your cake.
Refreshing winter ginger and citrus cordial
This a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink, based on traditional lemonade that can be kept in the fridge for several weeks and added to soda water, used in a variety of cocktails and mocktails or taken as a hot tonic, topped up with hot water on cold evenings. It can also be drizzled on pancakes or used as a cake syrup. The zest increases the antioxidant and vitamin C content and gives the cordial an elegant and slightly bitter edge, while the salt aids in hydration and makes this a particularly quenching beverage after a hard winter’s day work in the garden.
Ingredients
2kg citrus of choice (include a mix of lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit and mandarins)
50g fresh ginger, grated
½ cup sugar
1 cup honey
½ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
½ teaspoon citric acid
Instructions
1. Wash and dry your citrus fruits then zest each into a bowl before juicing with a citrus juicer or squeezing by hand.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the fresh juices, zests, ginger, sugar, and salt.
3. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved then bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the citric acid and honey till dissolved and fully combined and let cool slightly.
5. While still warm, carefully pour the concentrate into sterilised glass jars or bottles.
6. Store the concentrate in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
To serve
1. Fill a glass with ice cubes.
2. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the cordial to the glass.
3. Top with chilled soda water and stir gently to combine.
4. Garnish with citrus slices, fresh mint leaves and a flower!
Penelope Maguire runs Botanical Kitchen in Waikouaiti.
