You would expect nothing less of someone with Karen Miller’s imagination, than to offer such a delightfully colourful and tasty treat as Orange Poppy Seed Syrup Cake as her favourite dish.

“It almost sounds as if it is
from another planet.”

It almost sounds as if it is from another planet, which it just might be, coming from the science fiction and fantasy writer now establishing her dream horse property.

Imagine serving this during your afternoon tea after a solid workout at her Ballodair Park Equestrian Centre in the Hawkesbury region of NSW!

CAKE INGREDIENTS 

One-third cup (50g) poppy seeds
¼ cup milk
185g butter
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup plain flour
½ cup almond meal
½ cup fresh orange juice

ORANGE SYRUP 

1 cup castor sugar
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup water

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 22cm round cake pan.

Combine seeds and milk in a small bowl, and stand for 20 minutes. Beat butter, rind, and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Stir in the sifted flours, almond meal, juice and milk mixture. Spread into a prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all syrup ingredients together in a small saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, without stirring, for 2 minutes.

When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and stand it in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it onto a wire rack. Drizzle the hot orange syrup over the hot cake.