Send to KindleI’ve been on a bender for the past month, obsessed, possessed even. I can’t seem to get enough oranges. At the moment, my kitchen smells like an orange grove. It started when I picked up that bag of blood oranges and made that blood orange cocktail then the endive salad with orange vinaigrette and it hasn’t let up…it’s gotten worse.
I wanted to make an orange cake of some sort. I looked in that old family cookbook and came up with one, but wasn’t overly inspired by the ingredients. I considered some kind of orange chiffon cake for a while, but none of those really did it for me either. Then I came across a recipe that screamed orange cake from the rooftops: a flourless cake recipe that called for two whole oranges. Not just the juice or the zest, but the entire f’ing orange! How can you get more orangey than that? Oh, and since there’s only five ingredients to this cake, it’s probably the easiest cake recipe you’ll ever make.
You probably have a flourless cake recipe in your files, but it’s for chocolate cake….sometimes going by the name “death by chocolate” or some such goofy name. This orange cake is the same premise as a flourless chocolate cake recipe…but it’s all oranges all the time: “death by oranges” maybe?
By utilizing the entire orange in this cake, you end up with a cake that has an impressively intense orange flavor and is so moist it feels like it’s melting the moment you put it in your mouth. It’s definitely not your usual cake! The combination of orange and subtle sweetness will make you think this cake has been drenched in Grand Marnier.
This cake has so much flavor it really doesn’t need any embellishment, but just to take it into a bit of a different direction I changed it up a couple of different ways. The overall favorite, was drizzling it with chocolate ganache. I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan of chocolate and orange together, but in this cake…it’s sublime. The combination of the two gives you a chocolate orange cake that rivals any combination of these two flavors you’ve ever had. The second flavor combo is the more traditional orange creamsicle. By adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a sidekick to the orange cake you’re instantly transported back to your childhood, but in a much more sophisticated manor.
Another plus of this cake, as if you need any more (hello-easiest cake recipe evah), is that since it’s so moist it keeps well. So don’t feel like you have to eat the entire thing in a day or two. Or do, and then you’ve got the perfect excuse to make another one.
Relationship Advice
How is it that we can remember a fabulous meal, our favorite outfit from when we were 5 or the words to every song that was popular when we were in high school but when it comes to last person we broke up with, we can’t remember anything good that they/we did together?
We remember everything bad that ever happened during that relationship, including the minutia that was neither person’s fault (like, the restaurant that lost your reservation and you had to wait 90 minutes for a table). We remember every single douchey thing that person ever did or said to us (like, going out for wings with the guys instead of going to the movies with us or asking us if that was what we were really going to wear to go out to dinner with his family).
Why is it that we never (or very rarely) remember the nice things that happened like when he brought us chicken soup when we were home with the worst cold ever? Or what about the time he surprised us by cooking dinner for us one night?
We never seem to remember these things because we don’t want to think about the fact that someone who was good is no longer in our lives. We don’t want to admit that the relationship didn’t work out because we just weren’t right for each other or maybe not right for each other at the time we were together. Someone has to be at fault and I’ll be damned if it was because I’m not perfect – it has to be because he’s a jerk/loser. Right?
This week, why not try to think about the good things that your ex brought out of you? Forget that the lout could never remember your birthday. But did he ever give you a pep talk before you had a big presentation or job interview? Did he tell you that you were beautiful every time you cursed out your hips, butt or belly? Was he the adventurous one that turned you on to your now favorite hiking spot, restaurant or author?
If you start focusing on the positive things, even in the most negative of situations, you’ll begin to see everything in a more positive light. Once you start doing that, people become more attracted to you. Believe me when I say that positivity comes from the inside out.
Recipe: Flourless Orange Cake
Recipe adapted from The Cook’s Companion
Ingredients
- 2 Large Oranges (thoroughly washed)
- 6 Eggs
- 8.78 Ounces Almond Flour/Finely Ground Almonds
- 8.78 Ounces Superfine Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Double Acting Baking Powder
- Butter
- Flour (for dusting pan)
Directions
- Cover oranges in a medium-sized pot with water. Bring to a boil, place the lid on the pot and lower heat to a simmer, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the oranges from the water, allow to cool, cut open, remove and throw out any seeds.
- Once cool, roughly chop up oranges, including the rind.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
- Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan. This batter is really wet, so make sure that your springform pan forms a tight seal. To be safe, I still folded foil underneath and up the sides.
- Add the oranges and eggs to your food processor and purée .
- Thoroughly mix together the ground almonds, superfine sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Gradually add the egg-orange mixture, to the dry ingredients, whisking to combine.
- Scrape all of the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour; the cake is done when it’s a deep golden brown, pulls slightly away from the sides, and the top springs back when touched. If cake is still very wet, cook a little longer.
- Cool completely in the pan before gently removing the sides of the pan.
- Store, tightly wrapped, in fridge.
Notes
* To make superfine sugar, just measure out the same amount of granulated sugar. Pulse in the food processor until sugar grains are much finer. Do not process it into powder
For chocolate ganache, see the ganache recipe I used to make the truffles at Christmas. Drizzle over cake while still warm. Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Cooking time (duration): 75 minutes
Diet (other): Gluten free
Number of servings (yield): 8
Meal type: dessert
Well that looks divine – I am passing the recipe on to my sister who makes a lot of gluten free cakes for customers in her Art Cafes in Essex.
You totally had me at “easiest cake ever.” I love oranges too, so I’m thinking that this is the perfect cake for me. With vanilla ice cream, because creamsicles rock.
Question:
I’m trying to avoid any type of cane or corn sugar. Do you think that Agave nectar or honey would work as a replacement? Also trying to avoid all other types of grains, so this looks FAB!
Substituting honey for sugar is a matter of taste. Some people use it cup for cup, others prefer 1/2 cup – 2/3 cup of honey per cup of white sugar. Reduce the amount of other liquids by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used. Lower the oven temp about 25 degrees F to prevent over-browning.
That is one hell of a gorgeous shot on top! Me thinks the recipe is a winner too.
That’s a tough choice for the final presentation, but I think the chocolate and orange combo gets my vote. I love that there’s so much orange flavor in the cake. Sounds really interesting.
I can taste this cake as I read the recipe. I’ve been obsessed with orange forever; it’s an underrated fruit/citrus that we must eat more often … perhaps even in cocktails.
Not usually a huge over-the-top orange fan, cocktails being the exception, but you make it sound, and look so f’ing fantastic
Almond flour makes SUCH dense baked goods! I am a little obsessed with citrus cakes/cupcakes/tarts, so this is right up my alley! Unique, love it!
I had an ex that taught me all about horror films, who brought me to museums and to see Woody Allen movies on the big screen, and who was the pickiest eater I have ever dated… which leads me to the best thing that he taught me. That I would never again (and never will) date (or marry) a picky eater.
love it I am with you can’t get enough oranges so good at this time of year