Cara Cara Orange & Almond Cake
Serves 8
Try this flourless orange and almond cake that goes beautifully with North Carolina peaches or strawberries. Carry this cake with you on a picnic to the lake, beach, or park. Extremely moist, it consists of two cara cara seeded oranges (zest and juice), ground almonds, sugar, and eggs. An additional cara cara orange and one lemon are used for a syrup topping that is completed with toasted almonds, giving it a delicious pop of extra texture and flavor.
This cake is so easy to make. You mix a handful of ingredients together and bake for 45 minutes, and you get a creamy, gluten-free, dairy-free cake. On the inside, you get a pudding-like consistency that is something between a tres leches cake and an Orange Julius. It sets up but just barely so don’t think you’ve made a mistake. You haven’t. Enjoy this amazingly moist cake.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups ground almonds
1 cup fine sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup light olive oil
3 medium free-range eggs
2 large cara cara oranges, juice and zest (If you can’t get the car acara oranges, just use what you can find in the store.)
1 lemon, juice and zest
For the topping:
1 cara cara orange, juice and zest
1 lemon, juice and zest
½ cup fine sugar
10 cloves
1 cinnamon stick or a pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon toasted flaked almonds
How to make:
Pre-heat oven 350◦F. Lightly grease and line a nine-inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
For the cake, mix together the almonds, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk the oil, eggs, juice, and zest together in a separate bowl, and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into the prepared cake tin and place the oven.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch. If the surface browns too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top.
For the topping, place all the ingredients in a small pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then simmer for five minutes or until syrupy. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into a small bowl. Allow to cool. Discard the zest.
Remove the cake from the tin and carefully transfer onto a large plate. Using a sharp-tipped knife, score the surface of the cake then drizzle on the syrup. Let it soak into the sponge. Let stand for 20 minutes. Just before serving scatter over the toasted flaked almonds.