Weekend Orange and Almond Cake

Desserts are the best part of any meal in my opinion. It brings the whole experience of dining to a wonderful end, while ensuring that the conversation still flows. Whether it be the Perfect pie or flan ,Glorious Gateaux, Magical Meringues or all Manner of Mousses, there’s always  an air of expectancy after a meal even if we are all so full….

‘Cakes’ have always been one of my favorites.. actually I have many favs, many many … but since I am writing about this particular cake, for this moment cakes are my thing! It’s the process that really makes me happy(yup no other way of expressing it) Makes me happy because my mind goes back to my younger days... My mom used to bake the most amazing cakes and as children we would gather round her bowl and take turns in mixing the batter with a wooden ladle .(didn’t have the electrical whisks then ) One memory so vivid in my mind is her dropping a wee bit of food colour into the batter (that I was folding) and slowly and  magically  the creamish colour turned pink!. I felt as if I had made it happen.  And of course the other thing that we used to do is to sneakily dip our fingers into the batter and lick them off.. ‘the best part of helping her’ . O  she knew us very well  and  would always yell at us for this but would leave the bowl and  the  mixing thingies for us to lick to our hearts content.(Salmonella???)

Anyways every time I start making a cake, I remember her and there's that familiar warm feeling that spreads within me. Yes, the children still crowd around, if there are at home ,for that sneaky dip into the batter and it tends to become  a tussle as I join in as well…3 of us licking the batter bowl clean..  The dishwasher never had it so easy…

So here’s the recipe for T’s Orange and Almond Cake. It looked cumbersome to begin with but actually a breeze.. There’s no flour and only a wee bit of butter  involved, which is a good thing and one can also easily get gluten free baking powder nowadays. So here goes…

•   2 large seedless oranges .( I used the South African Naval ones)
•  Wee bit of butter for greasing
•  6 eggs(that’s was a whole lot!!)
•  240 gms caster sugar
•   240gms ground almonds (if making from scratch, do take skin off)
•   1 teaspoon baking powder
•    Icing sugar  to serve

Wash/Scrub the oranges and boil them whole(don’t cut). This should take about 30 mins or so as you want them to get really soft .  Set them aside to cool then puree in food processor /mixie..  unpeeled ..yes we want the skin as well . While pureeing don’t  make it too pasty. If there are slightly bigger bits of orange skin, its ok.

Pre heat the oven to 190 C or Gas mark 5.(the oven needs to be hot when you stick your cake in )

Prepare your cake tin .(24 cm).grease with wee butter and /or line with baking paper.

Beat the eggs and sugar until creamy and more voluminous. (about 5 to 6 minutes)

Fold in the  ground almonds, baking powder and orange puree until evenly combined.

That’s it!!

Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin and bake for about 40 mins or until firm to touch. It took about 30 mins for me.. This cake will sink ever so slightly in the middle.. it adds to the home made , rustic look.

Ovens vary so you need to just be vigilant and not go on Facebook or whatsapp or listen to music on youtube.. If the cake feels too moist , you will need to bake some more.

Dust icing sugar before serving…. Cake anyone??