
Mandarin & Almond Cake
This delicious, moist mandarin and almond cake is completely gluten-free, grain-free and dairy free. I'd love to say it's also high in vitamin C, but sadly, vitamin C is destroyed by cooking, so you'll still need to get your 200mg (recommended intake) from elsewhere. Each of 10 slices contains 7g protein,12.5g fat (only 0.9 g saturated fat) and 240 kCals.
Equipment
- OmniBlender
- Springform cake tin
- oven
Ingredients
for the cake
- 200 g whole almonds preferably organic
- 350 g clementine mandarins
- 5 free range eggs
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
for the syrup
- 1 juice of mandarin
- 1 juice of lime
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
For serving
- 1-2 dollops yoghurt natural unsweetened, or dairy-free alternative such as cashew cream, or coconut yogurt
Instructions
Mandarin & Almond Cake: Method
- Presoak the almonds – overnight is ideal, otherwise in hot water while the mandarins are cooking.
- Slice the mandarins in half to check for guava moth (more likely if organic/home grown). Remove any visible seeds and stems.Place in a large saucepan and add about a liter of cold water. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 1 hour.Drain the water (bitterness will go with it), let it stand so it can cool a little.
- Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease a 21cm round springform cake tin, and line with baking paper.
- Drain the almonds. Put them into your Omniblender and use the PULSE function until they are well-chopped. Tip out into a bowl (it's OK if some stays in the jar).
- Place the cooked mandarins – just as they are – into the Omniblender and process for a 35 second cycle. Then add the eggs, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and the almond meal. Process for about 60 seconds – the mix should be very well combined.
- Pour the almond and mandarin cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and put into the hot oven.
- After half an hour cover (e.g., with foil), then bake for a further 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven, but leave it in the cake tin.
Make the syrup for your Mandarin & Almond Cake
- Mix the second measure of sugar with the mandarin and lime juice. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- With the cake still in, place the tin on a plate (to catch any syrup that leaks through)! Pour the syrup over the cake while it's still warm.
- Allow the cake to cool a little before removing it from the tin.Serve warm or cold. Add yoghurt if desired.
Notes
TIPS: If you make your own almond milk this would be a great use of the solids that you are left with!
You don’t have to throw away the mandarin cooking water – it is a bitter tonic, which can stimulate the appetite.