Last Updated on March 2, 2018 by HodgePodgeDays
When I spotted a cake in a local tea shop decorated with gorgeous glistening slices of preserved orange, I knew I had to find out more. It turns out they were candied orange slices and they are ridiculously easy to make, if a little time consuming. They’re fabulous for decorating a pretty cake with or for dipping in chocolate for a little teatime treat. Plus there’s an exciting by-product to the process – more of which later!
How to make Candied Orange Slices
Ingredients:
2 oranges, fairly finely sliced
1 mug of caster sugar
1 mug of boiling water (add more if required)
8 drops of Spice Drops Orange Zest Extract
Method:
In a sauté pan, or high sided frying pan, tip in the water and sugar and heat; stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved. Add your Spice Drops Orange Zest Extract and lay your slices of orange in the pan. If you don’t have the spice drops, you can use a couple of tablespoons of orange juice instead.
Gently cook the orange slices for around an hour with the lid off the pan, make sure you turn them over every so often. You’re looking for the oranges to go a little translucent, once they do, they’re ready.
Carefully lay them on a cooling rack (make sure you put a cloth or paper towel underneath to catch any drips) and leave to cool and solidify overnight. Once they’ve cooled properly, they’re ready to use however you wish.
If you need to candy more than two oranges, I suggest you do it in batches. If you crowd the pan, they just wont cook as well. It’s not the worst thing in the world to have a pan of delicious, citrusy oranges blipping away on the hob for an afternoon!
That exciting by-product I mentioned earlier? Save the syrup the oranges have been poached in, it’s absolutely fantastic and perfect for baking, drizzling on pancakes or using in cocktails. Waste not, want not!
