Chocolate Orange Almond Cake

Chocolate Orange Almond Cake

Based on a recipe from Nigella Lawson, this Chocolate Orange Almond Cake is delicious, moist, and best of all gluten-free and dairy-free. I think it improves with age!

Ingredients:

1 large orange or 2 smaller ones

6 eggs

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225 g caster sugar

225 g ground almonds

50 g cacao powder

For decoration

Orange peel

Icing sugar

Method:

In a saucepan add the orange and fill with water until the orange is covered. Place the lid on the saucepan, turn onto a medium heat and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 hours or until soft. Top up with water if necessary. The orange should be covered at all times.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 20 cm cake tin with parchment paper.

Remove the orange from the water. Drain and leave on cutting board until you are able to comfortably cut the orange open. Remove any stones but leave peel and pith as we will use all of this.

If you have a food processor then place all the ingredients into it, with the orange and blend until smooth.

If you don’t have a food processor large enough then add the remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl. Then scoop all of the orange up into a smoothie maker, blender or cut finely by hand. Add the orange into the bowl with the ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 20 cm cake tin and bake for 1 hour. I check after 45 minutes as it is often cooked at this stage. You can tell if it’s cooked because a metal skewer inserted into the middle of a cake will come out clean. If the cake looks like it’s beginning to brown too much but is not cooked, then cover with foil and check every 5 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Gently remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack for another 20 minutes before gently removing parchment paper. Finally, leave to cool completely.

Decorate with strips of orange or icing sugar.

Additional Notes:

Add some flavour to the dish such as 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg or mixed spice.

Prepare ahead of time by cooking the orange the night before. In the morning all you have to do is mix it up into a food processor and cook!

Equipment Used:

Saucepan

Bowl

Food processor

Spoon

Weighing Scales

Measuring spoon.