Orange and Ground Almond Cake

A very moist, light and fragrant cake, made with whole oranges, first simmered until soft and then blended into a smooth paste which contributes to the softness and freshnesses of the cake.

• 2 organic oranges, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped discarding any pips (leaving the skin on)
• 5 eggs, separated
• 220 g of ground almonds (almond flour)
• 1 flat tablespoon of orange blossom water (optional)
• 200 g of caster sugar
• about 3 tablespoons of flaked almonds 

Prepare the oranges:

Put the oranges into a small sauce pan, add a tablespoon of water and gently cook with a lid on for about 30 minutes, until the skins turn soft. Leave to cool a little and then blend everything into a fairly smooth paste. 

In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale. Add the blended oranges, almond flour (ground almonds) and stir until well combined. If using, add the the orange blossom water and  give it another stir.

In the meantime add a drop of lemon juice to the egg whites and whisk them until they start to form soft peaks.

First fold a third of the whisked egg whites into the orange and almond mixture and next fold in the rest, making sure you don’t overwork it.

Grease and line with a baking parchment a spring form tin, 24 cm in diameter. 

Pour the cake batter into the cake tin, level the top with a tablespoon and sprinkle with the almond flakes.

Bake in a preheated oven to 180 C (non fan) for about 45-50 minutes.

If you notice half way through the baking that the top of the cake is browning too fast, cover it loosely with a sheet of an aluminium foil. 

Leave the cake to cool down in the tin for about one hour before transferring it onto a serving plate.

Dust with icing sugar to decorate.