Aromatic with citrus zest and with a rich, dense interior, this moist gluten-free cake can be served plain or finished with a drizzle of icing – either way, it’s rather fabulous.
INGREDIENTS
3 x eggs, size 7 (large)
¾ cup caster sugar
½ cup light fruity olive oil or ¼ cup each of vegetable oil and olive oil
70 grams skin-on roasted almonds, finely ground
4 tablespoons desiccated coconut, toasted
¾ cup plain gluten-free flour, (I used Bob's Red Mill)
½ teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
finely grated zest of 2 oranges and 1 lemon
⅓ cup combined orange and lemon juice
Syrup
½ cup orange or lemon juice
3 tablespoons caster sugar
Icing
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
3–4 teaspoons orange or lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped roasted almonds or raw pistachios, optional
zest of 1 orange or lemon
20cm spring form cake tin greased and base and sides lined with baking paper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
Syrup: Place the juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Cake: Whisk the eggs and sugar until very pale and thick and tripled in volume. This can take 8–10 minutes. Gradually beat in the olive oil in a thin stream until well combined and very thick.
Combine the almonds, coconut, flour, guar gum, spices, baking powder and salt together then add the zests. Using your fingertips, rub the zest into the dry ingredients to infuse with the oils.
Using a large metal spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture along with the juice, keeping as much air in the batter as possible.
Pour into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. While the cake is still hot, gradually spoon the syrup over the top until is has all been absorbed. Cool completely in the tin.
Icing: Stir enough juice into the icing sugar to make a thick, smooth icing. Spoon into a small plastic bag and snip a tiny hole in one corner. Drizzle the icing over the cake then sprinkle with chopped nuts and zest if using. Makes 1 cake
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.