Paleo Orange and Almond Cake

It’s Bank holiday Monday, pouring with rain and we have made the united decision to stay in doors. Fortunately, the whole weekend hasn’t been quite so dank- on Saturday we pulled on our trainers and walked to Petersham across Richmond Park. It’s a stunning walk with wild deer, birds of prey and would you believe it – green parrots; quite honestly it’s hard to imagine that the City’s only a couple of miles away.

We culminated our walk at Petersham Nurseries with an obligatory pot of fresh mint tea and a shared slice of flourless orange and almond cake from the cafe. It was delicious and such a wonderful setting sitting outside in the sunshine amongst an oasis of plants and beautiful outdoor furniture, I made a mental note to try to replicate the cake as soon as possible.

So, with the rain pounding down and no sign of it stopping for the next forty-eight hours I decided that today was the perfect day for cake baking!

Incredibly easy to make, this is a totally flourless, dairy-free and grain-free cake. It’s honestly one of the most moist, dense, moreish, aromatic and delectable cakes I have ever tried and would you believe  it –  only four key ingredients! I can’t wait to try this recipe with lemons next, I just need to find another perfect excuse for cake.

What you need:
Serves 10-12
Prepartion: 2 hrs
Cooking: 60 minutes
Springform round cake tin, dia 23cm

Cake:

*2 large oranges (boiled for 2 hrs prior to cooking)
*6 large eggs (separated)
*2 cups almond flour
*1 cup coconut palm sugar
*1 pinch sea salt (OPTIONAL)

Directions:

• In to a pan of boiling water place the two whole oranges and simmer for approximately 2 hrs until skins are tender and orange feels malleable. Allow oranges to cool
• Preheat oven to 180°c
• Over a bowl remove all orange pips and place all the skin, juice and orange flesh in to the blender with almond flour, sugar and sea salt
• Once fully blended add in the separated egg yolks and blend until smooth, move mixture to a large bowl
• In  a separate deep bowl whisk egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks then gently fold the egg whites in to the orange cake mixture and fully combine
• Pour cake batter in to a pre-greased cake tin and put in the oven for approx 60 minutes (be prepared to place some foil over the top of the cake after around 40 minutes to stop it from burning)
• Check the middle of the cake with a metal skewer / knife, if it comes out clean then it’s ready
• Allow to cool before removing from the cake tin
• Decorate with a honey glaze and toasted almond slices
• Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week

Glaze:

What you need:

*1 tsp coconut oil
*2 tsp raw honey
* 2 tbsp almond slices

Directions:

• In to a pan over high heat place the almond slices and continue to toss until toasted and golden brown, set aside
• In to a separate pan over heat place the coconut oil and honey and mix until fully melted and combined, pour in to a small pot / jug and allow to cool slightly for about 2-3 minutes
• Pour directly over the top of the cake and scatter the toasted almonds

Suitable for: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo