Recipes run through my head a lot. I'll get an idea about something and then my imagination just takes over. I start thinking about all the different approaches I could take, flavors that go together and then I start looking up recipes. It's both a blessing and a curse.
This obsession, however, led me to make several different versions of an almond and orange tea cake, with the following being my favorite. This recipe also happens to be gluten-free with the use of almond meal, which is a lovely flour replacement, and it doesn't have any of those chalky flavors I find with many of the gluten-free flour replacements. A cup of almonds meal is a cup of almonds, simple as that!
Perfect for tea time!
Almond & Orange Tea Cake
Equipment needed:
Food processor or blender
Large mixing bowl
9" Cake pan
Ingredients:
2 large seedless honeybell oranges*
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup ground almonds*
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
whipped cream (optional)
1. Wash the oranges and cover them with water in a medium sized pot. Boil until soft, about 30 minutes.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a food processor puree the oranges until smooth, removing any seeds you may find.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until thick and add the orange puree, ground almonds, salt, sugar and baking power. Mix well.
5. Grease a 9 inch cake pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour or until the center is firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
*Navel Oranges or Clementines work well too! If grinding your own almonds, simply do so in your blender or food processor before you add the boiled oranges.