This classic cake is light and citrussy – great served with tea or coffee.

Ingredients: (Serves8-10)

For the cake:

• 170 g/6 oz butter at room temperature
• 140 g/5 oz caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1½ oranges
• 3 eggs
• 175 g/6 oz self-raising flour
• 2½ tablespoon poppyseeds

For the icing:

• 2 oranges
• 260 g/9 oz mascarpone cheese
• 60 g/2 oz icing sugar, sifted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180º/350º/Gas mark 4. Grease a 23-cm/9-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.

Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour over the mixture, then fold in. Fold in the poppyseeds. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin smooth the top and bake for about 50 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then turn out to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, grate the zest from the oranges and set aside. Remove the rest of the zest and white pith from the oranges and slice between the membranes to neatly remove the segments of flesh. Set the segments aside. Beat the mascarpone, icing sugar and reserved zest until smooth and creamy. Swirl the icing over the cake and decorate with the orange segments just before serving.