Almond and Orange Blossom Cake
Ingredients:
- 225 grams soft unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 50 grams plain flour or rice flour if you want this to be gluten-free
- 180 grams ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- finely grated zest of 1 medium orange and 1 x 15ml tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of juice
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons orange-flower water
- 1 teaspoon icing sugar (to decorate)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan, and slide a baking sheet onto a low rack or the bottom of the oven — this is not for the cake to bake on, but to catch any drips. Grease a 20cm / 8 inch springform cake tin, and cut out a baking parchment circle to line the bottom.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until almost white, then beat in the eggs one by one, spooning in a little of the flour with each one as you go.
- Fold in the rest of the flour, and the ground almonds. Add the almond extract, grated orange zest, orange juice and orange-flower water, folding again to combine. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled.
- Pour and scrape this into your prepared tin smoothing the top and bake on a rack in the oven for 40-50 minutes. If the middle has not set but the top is catching then cover loosely with foil.
- If a cake tester comes out clean and the top of the cake is firm, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for about 5-10 minutes.
- Carefully unspring the sides of the cake and leave to cool on a rack. Once cold it can be wrapped in baking parchment and foil and left for a day or two.
- When you are ready to serve, dust the top with a little icing sugar pushed through a small sieve .
Helen Edwardson