I love this time of the year when there are blood oranges around, they are so pretty and taste great in cakes, I made this little blood orange and thyme cake with them, I have also made a black bottom blood orange pie which I will be sharing soon and some marmalade. To flavour the cake I reduced the blood orange juice in a pan with some sugar and some thyme to make a syrup and brushed it onto the sponges and I used it to flavour the frosting too. I just love making cakes I think I could make them every day if I could. what is your favourite thing to bake?.

recipe for sponge

• 220g butter
• 220g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 220g self raising flour
• zest of one blood orange finely graded
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• juice of two blood oranges
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 cup sugar

• 300ml double cream
• 5 tbsp. icing sugar
• 4 to 5 tbsp. of syrup

in a mixer add the cream and icing sugar and mix until it is just starting to get thick then add the syrup and continue mixing until stiff.

to assemble the cake slice the tops off and then brush on some of the remaining syrup then add some frosting and place on the next layer, continue this with the other layers. spread remaining frosting around edges and decorate with thyme, I drizzled some more of the syrup on to the cake before serving.