Orange Almond Cake
An aromatic and gluten-free Persian dessert, with a surprising amount of protein from the ground almonds and eggs. Serve with strong coffee or Earl Grey tea.
Persian Orange Almond Cake
Naturally Gluten-free & Dairy-free
Ingredients:
2 oranges
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (315g) caster sugar
3 cups (300g) almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Mascarpone, to serve
Orange Blossom Syrup:
1 orange
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Preheat oven to 160°C/325F. Grease a round springform pan and line the base with baking paper. (I also greased a ceramic loaf pan with great results)
Place oranges in a large saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain. Return to pan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Drain and repeat once more or until very tender. Drain. Coarsely chop and discard any seeds.
Place orange in a food processor; process until smooth. Use an electric mixer to whisk eggs and sugar until thick and pale (about 5 minutes on high). Add orange, almond meal, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom; gently fold until just combined. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Set aside in pan to cool completely.
While baking, make the syrup. You can use the recipe below, or reheat leftover syrup from Candied Orange Peels
To make syrup, use a zester to remove rind from orange. Juice orange. Place the juice, sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves and syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Add orange blossom water and zest. Set aside to cool.
Drizzle the cake with syrup. Cut into wedges and serve with mascarpone.
