Whole Orange and Almond Cake

Whole Orange and Almond Cake
Originally uploaded by wanderingcoyote.

I think it's a good idea to have at least one wheat/gluten free dessert in your repertoire. There are, after all, a lot of people out there who cannot have wheat but who still have sweet tooths worthy of satisfaction. This is a really cool recipe I made a couple of weeks ago, also from The Essentail Baking Cookbook, hence the weights as opposed to volume as it's an Australian publication (so you'll need a scale). It's a very different recipe, but it makes a wonderful, almost pudding-like cake that you can dress up in any number of ways.

Whole Orange and Almond Cake

2 large oranges
5 eggs
220g/7oz white sugar
250g/8oz ground almonds (almond meal)
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar, to dust

1. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan with butter and line the bottom with either wax paper or parchment.

2. Scrub the oranges under warm water to remove any waxy coating or stamps. Place in a saucepan and cover them with water. Boil for an hour. Remove and set aside to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a plate to catch any juice, quarter the oranges and discard only the seeds. In a food processor or blender, puree the oranges to a pulp

4. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the orange pulp and juices, ground almonds, sugar, and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Pour into the springform pan and bake for about an hour, or until the cake is firm to the touch and lightly golden. Bake it longer if it's wet. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before tipping out onto a cooling rack.

Dust with icing sugar. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cardamom.