Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Orange and Almond Cake



Flourless Orange and Almond Cake is a classic Passover dessert drawing on the Shepherding traditions of Morocco, the Mediterranean and the Middle East where citrus is widely available.

The first time I tasted this cake was at the Producers of McLaren Vale served by Tori Moreton herself, on a visit my gastronomy class made to her vineyard last winter. The combination of zesty orange and rich nutty flavour of the almonds burst with beautifully fragrant, bold flavour, perfect with a cup of strong coffee. The following recipe is by home-cook Batia Slater, who was a guest on SBS's show Food Safari, the link provides a video of the cake being prepared.

Ingredients: 2 oranges, 6 eggs, 250g caster sugar, 250g almond meal, 1tsp baking powder, Extra caster sugar for dusting before baking, Icing sugar for dusting after baking, Margarine or oil spray (for greasing the pan)

Method: Wash oranges and place unpeeled, in a pot of boiling water for 2 hours. Drain the water and allow the oranges to cool. This can be done ahead of time. Preheat oven to 190°C.
Break 6 eggs into a mixing bowl or blender. Add caster sugar and beat or blend together.Place the two oranges into the egg mix. Break up the oranges and then blend together to a smooth consistency. Add the almond meal and baking powder and blend.

Grease a 20 cm spring form baking pan with margarine (or vegetable oil spray) and dust with caster sugar. Pour batter into the pan and sprinkle caster sugar on top and bake for 1 hour to an hour and a half or until the top is golden brown. Dust with icing sugar to serve

1 comment:

Cari said...

MEGGERS. Oh dear me girl. I just caught up on your blog after weeks of being absent and I am just so proud of you I could squeal. BABE! Look at all the yumminess you've been dishing up! Tongue and periwinkles and cakes... WOW! YOU ARE AWESOME! Can't wait to chat later this week and hear your voice and all about your gastro adventures firsthand. I am loving this girlfriend. xoxo love you