Gluten (Flour) Free Orange and Almond Cake

I love a bit of cake. I love baking them too. Saturday afternoon I decided I would make a completely flourless cake, using ground almonds as a substitute. I had two oranges, so orange and almond cake it was!

Orange and Almond Cake
What you’ll need:
2 Oranges
5 Eggs, separated
200g Caster Sugar
225g Ground Almonds
Flaked Almonds to top
Icing Sugar to dust

1. Get your two lovely oranges, give them a wash and cut them up roughly with the skins still on. Remove all the pips.

2. Plonk them in a small pan, and put some water in. Some recipes say add a little water, but I’d say fill it up quite a bit so the oranges don’t burn. Let that simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the excess liquid has evaporated.

3. You separated your eggs? What do mean not yet? Get on with it! Whilst you’re at stick your oven onto gas mark 4.

5. If you’re oranges are nice and soft, and they look ready then take them off the heat, let them cool, then chop them finely. If you can put them in a food chopper or food processor and blitz them almost into a purée, even better.

6. Leave your oranges to fully cool, we don’t want scrambled eggs. Next up is whisking that egg white until it forms stiff peaks. I did this by hand because I’m crazy and my arm felt like it would fall off slightly, but feel free to use an electric mixer or whisk.

7. Then add half of your sugar (100g) into you egg white, and whisk that in. Keep whisking for 3-4 minutes.

8. Get those egg yolks and the rest of your sugar, and whisk them into a think, pale mixture.

9. If your orange is cool put it into the mix, then add the ground almonds and mix them in too.

10. Then add 3 tablespoons of your egg white, and mix it in to loosen the mixture. Then add the rest in and fold gently.

11. Put it in a tin. I don’t know how big. Whatever you think. Make sure you grease it or use baking parchment. Scatter on some flaked almonds and stick it in the oven for 50-55 minutes.

12. After 20 minutes check your lovely cake. Ask it how it is doing. If it says “ooh I’m tanning quite quickly actually” and it seems to be getting that lovely brown glow all cakes long for fairly quickly, place some tin foil over it. Don’t want to over tan, it’s not a good look.

13. 30 minutes later, see how it is doing. Stick a skewer in the middle and if it comes out dry, your cake is done. Woohoo! Turn off your oven because I forget to do that sometimes and get told off, and keep it in the tin for a good 10-15 minutes. Then turn out your cake.

14. Once it has cooled down fully, dust with icing sugar… And that’s it! Eat that cake!

Adapted from this recipe: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/2758/spanish-orange-and-almond-cake.aspx 🙂

Happy baking!!