Hawkes General Store & orange cakes

On moving to Orange seven years ago, nearly everyone I met asked me the same question, have you been to Hawkes yet? Isn’t it gorgeous? I went on my first day and yes it was/is. For the past 37 years, Hawkes General Store has been one of the nicest places in town to pick up coffee, gifts, clothes, homewares, books and accessories. So it’s a real pleasure to write my first ‘sponsored’ post for owner, Coco Pogonoski (nee Hawke).

You might notice Coco’s advertisement over here to the right (featuring her bright yellow door), please click through to take a look at her website and stay informed of Hawkes’ news and new arrivals.

Originally established by Coco’s mother Fem Hawke, the store is a bit of an institution here in Orange and remains very much a family enterprise with Fem helping out on a regular basis. Coco’s sister Simonn is also the chef and owner of award-winning restaurant Lolli Redini just next door.

Coco fills her store with an ever-changing rotation of beautiful things, so the one draw-back is that every time you pop in for a coffee you leave coveting something new. Nearly every birthday present or treat for our family seems to be purchased here and the store’s entire team all seem to have an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what to suggest for every customer. I love that level of service and that it comes in such a gorgeous package!

With Coco recently taking delivery of a great new load of winter stock (I’ve just been there and trust me – it’s dangerous), now is a great time to pop in, grab a coffee and say hello. But if you can’t make it there just yet, maybe just bide your time, make yourself a nice coffee and a batch of these orange cakes and jump on to the website for a virtual visit.

Orange cakes with citrus icing

The cakes and biscuits at Hawkes are all made by clever local baker Emily Tweedie. Here she generously shares the recipe for her ever-popular orange cakes. Makes 24 small cakes or one large cake

3 navel oranges
7 free range or organic eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsps baking powder
300g almond meal

Preheat oven to 160C and line a 12-hole, one cup capacity muffin tin with baking paper. Place oranges in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 1/2 hours (topping up the water as you go if necessary). Transfer unpeeled oranges to a food processor and blitz to a puree. 

Beat eggs and sugar together until thick and pale. Add the baking powder and beat again for 30 seconds. Stir in the orange puree and almond meal to make a smooth batter. Fill the muffin holes to just under the edge of the tin and bake for 30 minutes (60 minutes if making one large cake). Remove from the tin and let cool on a wire rack.

Icing
Zest of a lemon
Juice of half a lemon
500g icing sugar
125g unsalted softened butter

Beat all of the above to a smooth paste. Pipe across the cakes in a swirl patten using a piping bag or a small plastic bag with the end snipped off.

* These cakes are gluten free, keeping in mind the choice of icing sugar used.
* Stewed rhubarb can replace the orange puree for a lovely variation

This post was sponsored by Hawkes General Store. Thanks Coco!