Orange and Almond Cake (with a twist)

Orange and almond cake is loved by many and it is easy to understand why.  It is packed with nutritious almonds and has a delightful orange flavour that is perfectly tart and sweet.  It is also gluten free and a wonderful option that caters to both those who eat gluten free and those who eat gluten.

I love orange and almond cake, but I also love the opportunity to put a twist on a classic.  This cake has a couple of twists!  Firstly, it is slightly more nutritious than a typical orange and almond cake as it has less sugar  – it also uses honey instead of white sugar which imparts a beautiful flavour.  Secondly, there’s some extra ingredients that take the classic orange and almond cake and then turns into something extra special.  What are the extra ingredients?  Rosemary and black pepper.  Yes, rosemary and black pepper!  Give it a go and you’ll steal the show!

Orange and almond cake with rosemary and black pepper

Ingredients

2 large oranges, ~500g grams (look for ones with a thin skin, opposed to a thick skin)

250 grams almond meal

3 large eggs

100 grams honey

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Recipe steps

  1. Place oranges in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water
  2. Bring to the boil and simmer oranges for 15 minutes
  3. Discard boiling water and then repeat steps 1-2, twice more (so oranges have been boiled three times)
  4. Remove oranges and allow to cool (you may wish to place in fridge and cut into quarters to speed up cooling)
  5. Preheat oven to 160°C (fan-forced)
  6. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper
  7. Once oranges are cool, roughly chop (leave skin on), and place in food processor
  8. Add to food processor, almond meal, eggs, honey and baking powder, and blend until smooth
  9. Add finely chopped rosemary and black pepper, and mix through (a spoon is fine for this step)
  10. Pour mixture into cake tin
  11. Place cake tin on lower shelf of oven (to minimise the top browning) and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until just cooked through
  12. Remove from oven and allow to cool in cake tin (about an hour)
  13. Serve and enjoy!