Orange Almond Cake

The cake hails from Tuscany and we (the cake and I) became instant best friends at a recent dinner party. On this occasion, I met a group of women who had recently travelled together to Italy. While there, they participated in a cooking class and this was the grand finale of their home-cooked meal.  Luckily for us, it was also the grand finale of our meal that night. Now ORANGE you glad you can enjoy it too? ?

So regardless of where you live, whether the Groundhog has forecasted accurately, and how chapped your lips and hands are right now, I promise this cake will make you feel warm and wonderful.

Orange Almond Cake

2 oranges, preferably seedless

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups freshly ground almonds (you can use almond flour, however I prefer the less consistent and crunchier texture of freshly ground almonds)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Decorative topping of your choice (entirely optional, see below)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the base of a 9” springform pan and put a round of fitted parchment on top of the buttered pan bottom. This will make it easier to remove the cake when baked.

Wash the oranges and cut them in half. Remove any stem remnants as well as seeds (my oranges are seedless, see if you can find seedless ones to make this easier).

Place orange halves in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with top or plastic wrap, and microwave for 15 minutes on high power.  (the oranges and the bowl itself will get very hot; take care when handling, especially watch for steam burns when you remove the cover – use gloves! Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything….)

Cool a few minutes and then place in food processor (yes – skins and all) and process until you have a puree.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder. Mix until combined. Incorporate the orange puree.

Pour mixture into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 45-50 min. After about 35 minutes, check the cake to ensure the top isn’t getting too brown. If this is the case, cover with a piece of foil to prevent further darkening. (I choose to do this every time.) The cake is done when the top feels firm and the center is solid, not wobbly.

Cool for 30 minutes, remove cake from the pan. The finished cake can be topped with confectioner’s sugar (I place a doily on the cake and sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top for a pretty pattern), or drizzled with chocolate, decorated with candied orange or orange zest, or dollops of whipped cream.