RECIPE: Kūmara and orange cake with toffee sauce

KŪMARA AND ORANGE CAKE WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

What better way to celebrate the Matariki harvest than by enjoying one of the most significant crops for Māori, the kūmara. Here I have combined it with oranges to make a moist, luscious cake, served with orange toffee sauce and ice cream.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (150g) plain flour 
1 cup (160g) wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp mixed spice
½ cup (100g) brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup (100g) white sugar
2 cups peeled, grated orange kūmara (approx. 2 medium)
4 eggs 
1 cup canola oil
2 medium oranges (seedless), peeled and blended to a puree
TIP: leave the skin on half an orange for a zestier flavour

TOFFEE SAUCE:

1 cup (200g) caster sugar
⅓ cup (80ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
⅓ cup (80ml) cream 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. 
Grease and line a 22cm cake tin.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, including kūmara, aerating with your hands.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix with an electric beater on low for one minute. 
Pour batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Make toffee sauce:

Place sugar and orange juice in a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
Without stirring, cook mixture over a medium heat until light caramel colour, about 8 minutes, swirling the pan every now and then.
Remove from heat and carefully add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), return to low heat and stir until smooth.

This recipe was originally featured in Stuff publications: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/300050891/recipe-kmara-and-orange-cake-with-toffee-sauce