Orange and Almond Spanish Cake

"The first time I tasted this cake I couldn't believe it was possible to make a cake that is so light and yet holds up so well without any flour. The syrup makes it very moist as well. It would be perfect as a gourmet birthday cake for anyone with gluten or flour allergies. When they are in season, Seville oranges are recommended."
 
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photo by Sackville photo by Sackville
photo by Sackville
Ready In:
1hr 20mins
Ingredients:
8
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F.
  • Line a 23 cm spring-form tin on the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper.
  • Keeping 1 tbsp of caster sugar aside for later, mix the egg yolks and sugar together until pale.
  • Then add the almonds and zest.
  • Beat the egg whites and remaining tablespoon of sugar until stiff.
  • Carefully fold into the sugar-egg mixture, trying not to knock the air out of the whites.
  • The egg yolk/sugar mixture will seem quite stiff at first, but keep folding in the egg whites and it will soon loosen up.
  • Gently ease the batter into the lined tin.
  • Place on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for 60-70 minutes until it is golden on top and firm to touch.
  • While the torte is in the oven, make the syrup by placing the orange juice, lemon juice and cinnamon in a saucepan with a handful of sugar.
  • Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for about five minutes.
  • Taste.
  • The syrup should be quite tart.
  • Cool and place in the fridge.
  • When the torte is ready, remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack before opening the springform tin.
  • Transfer to a plate and pierce four small holes in the top of the cake.
  • Pour half the syrup over the top and serve with the rest of the syrup on the side.
  • If you are making the cake ahead of time, I usually wait until a few hours before serving to pour the syrup over.

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Reviews

  1. I used 2 oranges quartered and put into the microwave for 5 mins then the WHOLE orange into a food processor. same 6 eggs at room temperature, 1 1/4 caster sugar (used regular sugar but put into a food processor to make finer), 2 1/2 cups of almond meal, 1 tsp baking powder. I split into two circle pans which really cut the cooking time down to 20- 30 mins. I layered the two pans. good for muffins too. I topped mine with melted dark chocolate in a all over swirly pattern. YUMMY !!!
     
  2. This cake tasted exactly like I imagined it would and was the ideal finish to a Spanish dinner party. Like the other reviewer, I found that the juice of 4 oranges and a lemon was more than enough. Even then, I had about twice more syrup than we needed. I toasted the almonds lightly before grinding them. Good recipe -- thanks for posting!
     
  3. This cake is fabulous! I've made it a few times and taken it to work for a few colleagues that are gluten free and they loved it. It's moist, light and best served cold. You don't need so many oranges for the syrup, the ones that I grated orange rind from were enough to juice and pour over the cake. This cake is a definate winner, even my kids liked it.
     
  4. since finding this recipe last year I have made it several times the light texture make it an ideal dinner party dessert and the oranges clean the palette.I usually make the cake in a savrin ring and boil some sliced oranges in the syrup to use for decoration on the cake.I tend not to make quite as much syrup as suggested
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

This is a picture of me and my husband in Portugal, climbing up above the clouds with our bikes. Right now we are travelling around the world on our bicycles, so I only pop onto Zaar occasionally, when internet connections and time allow me to. If I don't reply to a message about one of my recipes, now you know why! Our trip may take several years so if it's urgent, it's probably better for you to post in the forums ;) Good food is really important to me -- I am happy to pay extra for food that I feel is produced in a sustainable and ethical way and always try to eat using seasonal produce. When we were in the UK we rarely shopped at supermarkets, trying instead to favour small producers, although we were very lucky in that we lived in London and there was lots of choice. We also were fortunate enough to have a weekly organic veg box delivered to our door, filled with so many lovely vegetables for very little money. It really opened my horizons in terms of the variety of vegetables I eat. If you're in the UK, check out Riverford for a box supplier as they're amazing! When I'm not eating I love to take pictures and travel with my husband. <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZWT2.gif">
 
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