Almond and Orange Syrup Cake

Tuesday 14 September 2010



I've been wanting to make this cake for awhile now . . . but for some reason there have been no ground almonds to be found in any of the stores locally. Perhaps there is a shortage or some such. Most annoying as they are an ingredient I use fairly often!



I decided to take the bull by the horns today and make my own.



I have always been a bit leery of grinding my own, because if you take it just that little bit too far . . . nuts can become a bit oily . . . and I didn't want that to happen.



I read somewhere recently though, that . . . if you add a bit of the sugar from the recipe to the nuts as you are grinding them, this can help to prevent that from happening . . . so this I tried . . . and with great success I might add!




We are having company tonight for a small group scripture study and then a time of fellowship and refreshments afterwards. I thought this cake would go down a real treat.





It's dense and rich and oh so buttery and delicious. It's one of those cakes that actually gets better tasting as the days go on . . .

Not that you will have it around that long. It's really that good that it will disappear . . .

lickety split!!



*Almond and Orange Syrup Cake*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

A beautifully dense and delicious cake, with a sticky orange topping.

250g blanched almonds (about 2 cups)
225g of caster sugar (1 1/4 cups)
50g of self raising flour (1/3 cup plus 1 TBS)
250g of unsalted butter at room temperature (1 generous cup)
the grated orange zest of 2 large oranges
4 large free range eggs
60g of flaked almonds (about 1//2 to 3/4 cup)

Orange Syrup:
the freshly squeezed juice of two large oranges
55g of caster sugar (a heaped quarter cup)

To serve:
Creme fraiche or extra thick double cream

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch springform pan and set aside.

Put the almonds into the food processor along with 1/4 of the sugar. Process until finely chopped. Transfer them to a bowl. Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingertips until it gets very fragrant. (my favourite part of this and a tip I learned from Dorie Greenspan.) Tip the sugar and flour into the bowl containing the almonds.

Beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to mix in well. Add the flour mixture in two batches, beating again after each addition until well combined. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Level off. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden on top and set. If you think it is browning too quickly, then cover with foil, shiny side up.

While the cake is baking make the orange syrup. Place the orange juice and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Once the cake is done remove it from the oven and poke it all over with a skewer. Spoon the orange syrup over the top of the hot cake, allowing it to soak in.

Let the cake cool before cutting into slices to serve. Pass the creme fraiche or cream.

Note - a spring of rosemary simmered in with the orange syrup gives it an elusive and wonderful flavour addition! Discard the rosemary before spooning the syrup over the cake.




Giveaway!!
One Kellogg’s Family Breakfast Hamper


I chose a random numbers generator to pick a winner of the Kellogg's Family Breakfast Hamper and guess what, it chose Number 1! I wish I could have one of these sent to each of you. Heck I wish I could have one of these myself! Angie, you are the winner. Let me know your details and I'll arrange to have it sent to you as soon as! Take heart the rest of you. I'll be hosting another giveaway soon and I think the next one is going to be kitchenware!

14 comments

  1. Marie, This is a recipe I will definitely try. It looks scrumptious!
    x Jenny

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great great great recipe .
    Loved the tip to rub the orange zest into the sugar , i do it sometimes just to feel the orange aroma n never knew it is so useful...thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aaaagh! I got sidetracked by a 'click here' and then couldn't get back to my comment.

    What was I saying? Oh yes - I am so chuffed to have won your breakfast hamper giveaway. Don't you know I NEVER usually win things, not even seaside bingo prizes.

    This cake looks gorgeous. I wonder why g/almonds are scarce over your side? I do sometimes grind my own if I must but only with the little Kenwood grinder. Believe it or not there are some shops who think g/almonds are a Christmas commodity so once they've sold all of LAST season's stocks they dont buy more til NEXT Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marie, this looks lovely- perfect for a tea I have planned
    xoxo Pattie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks really yummy. I'm trying not to bake as much lately (I end up eating most of it myself). Well, shouldn't have visited your blog then, should I? Hmmm. I'll just look at the pictures and dream. The soup below also looks nice. Perhaps an idea for tonight's dinner as I have some swede in the fridge.

    Thanks for wonderful blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just again posted about one of your great recipes..Thanks:) You are such a good cook.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, that is a pretty cake, Marie.... I would love a little slice with my cuppa tea right now... ;o) Thank you for your wonderful recipes every day, every week... all you do is sooo much appreciated, my friend! LOVE YOU LOTS ((BIG HUGS))

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks delicious Marie - lovely photographs!

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh my gosh... that looks fabulous, i am making one of those at the weekend xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oooh! Another amazing looking cake, my friend! It just looks so moist and fabulous! Glad grinding the almonds worked well! I'm sure there's not one tiny smidgen of the cake left after your scripture study group left!

    Lots of love to you today, dear friend! Hope you're enjoying a beautiful day...

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would love to have a measurement on the orange juice instead of two large oranges, the ones I bought are huge and 1 1/2 orgs. gave me 1 cup juice???? Any thoughts on that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Judy, most large oranges have about 4 TBS of juice in them. So 8 TBS would be correct.

      Delete
  12. This is a lovely cake! I made this yesterday for afternoon tea and really enjoyed the moist, zesty taste. I'm very partial to cakes made with almond meal and love citrus flavours. That sticky topping is so good and the whole cake together is perfect. Very tasty and one I'll make again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So pleased you baked and enjoyed this Marie! It’s a favourite of mine also! Xoxo

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!