Olive oil & orange sponge cake with mango and passion fruit salsa

Preheat the oven to 190ºC, gas mark 5. Grease the sides of the tin or dampen with water to secure the paper and keep it in place up the sides. Line a 20cm round springform or deep and loose bottomed round cake tin with 1 large sheet of parchment paper, so that it comes just above the tin (the cake rises a fair amount). Place the egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, (or use a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer). Add half the sugar, the orange zest and juice, passion fruit pulp, flour and a generous pinch of salt, then whisk at the highest speed until the egg yolks go pale, fluffy and start to thicken

With the machine still running, start adding the extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady drizzle so it combines into the yolks – like making a mix similar to a mayonnaise. Set the bowl aside.

Using a clean whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites in another large bowl with the remaining 75g sugar to a soft meringue. Don’t over whisk into strong peaks, as it will affect the end texture. Using a large metal spoon, fold a scoopful of soft meringue into the yolk mix to loosen it, then fold in the rest carefully, retaining as much air as possible. Pour the mix into the lined tin.

Place the cake in the centre of the oven, bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the tin and bake for 10 minutes more until well risen, puffed and golden with a little bounce and soft to the touch. Cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes, then lift the paper out. At this stage it may sink a little in the centre but this is OK, as you will fill the slight dip with the salsa.

his is OK, as you will fill the slight dip with the salsa. 05_ While the cake is baking, peel and dice the mango and mix with 20ml orange juice. Add the sugar and passion fruit pulp and mix well. Top the cake with the salsa before serving, or serve the salsa on the side if you prefer.