orange and lemon chequerboard Mother’s Day cake

225g soft sunflower margarine
225g caster sugar
275g self-raising flour
10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
4 The Co-operative free-range eggs
60ml (4 tbsp) semi-skimmed milk
1 orange, rind and juice
1 lemon, rind and juice
400g icing sugar
yellow food colouring

Preheat oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4. Grease and line a 30cm x 23cm (12in x 9in) roasting tin.

Place the margarine, caster sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, rind of the lemon and orange, and milk into a large bowl, and beat well for approximately 1–2 minutes. An electric whisk is ideal for this.

Turn into the prepared tin and level, then bake for 35–40 minutes or until shrunk from the sides and it springs back when pressed in the centre. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then turn onto a wire rack.

When cool, cut into 20 squares.

Divide the icing sugar between two bowls, squeeze the lemon juice into one bowl and the orange juice into the other, and mix until the icing is a smooth pouring consistency, adding a little water if necessary. Reserve a little for decoration.

Add a little yellow colouring to the lemon icing and mix well. Add a little more colouring to the orange icing, turning it a deeper colour. Mix well.

Coat half the cakes with the lemon icing and the other half with the orange. Leave to set.

Decorate the cakes by either piping your special message onto the individual cakes or simply decorate with sweets. Arrange the colours alternately like a chequerboard, ask dad to make mum a cup of tea and watch her face light up!

This recipe has one or more red traffic lights.  It's fine to eat occasionally or as a treat.

nutritional values (approx. per serving)

Back to all recipes