The perfect cake to make for this Mother’s Day

I’m always on the lookout for ways to use up egg yolks. Or for ways to use up egg whites. I really don’t like food waste, so when a recipe calls for yolks or whites I’m always searching for co-ordinating recipes to use up the excess. Lately I’ve been making Alison Roman’s granola. It’s not too sweet with just a little maple syrup, and it’s incredibly crunchy and light thanks to three egg whites. Now it had taken me quite a while to try this recipe just because of the egg white requirement, but it really is worth it.

You can make ice-cream with the yolks. Or cure them in a bath of soy sauce for 50 minutes and serve over sticky rice like Nadine Levy Redzepi does, so good with a little kimchi. I often make mayonnaise with the yolks or lemon curd. The predicament can be solved with delicious results.

For this week’s recipe I’ve used egg yolks to make an orange curd that’s buttery, light yet creamy, with a citrus twist that’s made all the more exotic by serving with passion fruit. I love those wrinkly grenades of flavour that just bring the taste of tropical shores to this simple sponge cake. It is the ideal cake to make this weekend for Mother’s Day. Bake it for your own mother, a mother that you know or for yourself. It’s light, easy to make and a real treat.

The orange curd can be made up to three days in advance; keep it covered in the fridge. Use the same amount of lemon juice or even blood orange for dramatic effects. A little lime juice in with the orange gives even more of a tang.

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This cake is so easy to bake that it’s worthwhile making a little effort and whipping up a batch of orange curd. The key here is to take your time with each step, from pouring the hot syrup onto the yolks whilst continuously whisking to avoid curdling, to letting each cube of butter melt before adding more. It’s an enjoyable process and will ensure silky smooth creamy curd.

Passion fruit and orange curd cake

Ingredients

Serves 8-10

6 hen eggs or 4 duck eggs

215g sugar

170g plain flour

200ml cream, softly whipped

2 passion fruit

Icing sugar

For the orange curd

90ml orange juice

90g sugar

2 egg yolks

1 egg

75g butter, cubed at room temperature

Method

First make the curd. Heat the orange juice and sugar in a pan over a medium heat and stir till the sugar has dissolved.

Whisk the egg yolks and egg in a wide bowl. Slowly pour in the hot orange juice while whisking the entire time.

Return the mixture to the pan and leave to simmer on a very low heat for 2-3 minutes until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, allowing each cube to melt before adding another.

Once all of the butter has melted, pour the curd into a jar and place a piece of greaseproof paper on top. Leave to cool completely before placing in the fridge.

For the cake itself, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Butter and flour two 8-inch sandwich tins.

Beat the eggs and sugar until very thick and pale. Carefully fold in the sieved flour.

Pour into the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until the sponge springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.

Remove the fruit from one of the passion fruit and press through a sieve to remove the pips. Mix this with four tablespoons of icing sugar, till smooth. Set aside.

Spread one cake with the orange curd, followed by the whipped cream. Top with the second cake. Drizzle with the passionfruit water icing and dust with icing sugar. Serve right away.